toxic
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison.
a toxic condition.
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acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.
a toxic drug.
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causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious: toxic criticism.
a toxic boyfriend who wanted complete control over her;
toxic criticism.
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Finance.
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pertaining to or noting debt that will probably not be repaid.
toxic mortgages.
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pertaining to or noting a financial instrument or other asset that has no value or an unknown value because there is no market for it.
toxic mortgage-backed securities.
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noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or poison; poisonous
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harmful or deadly
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(of a financial asset) likely to cause significant loss to the holder
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Relating to or caused by a toxin.
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Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.
Other Word Forms
- hypertoxic adjective
- nontoxic adjective
- nontoxically adverb
- posttoxic adjective
- toxically adverb
- untoxic adjective
- untoxically adverb
Etymology
Origin of toxic
First recorded in 1655–65; from Late Latin toxicus “poisonous,” derivative of toxicum “poison,” from Greek toxikón (for toxikòn phármakon literally, “bow poison,” i.e., poison used on arrows), equivalent to tóx(on) “bow” + -ikon, neuter of -ikos adjective suffix; -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others behaved more like the older toxic compounds, producing dangerous levels of uncoupling.
From Science Daily
Industrial compounds used in products like flame retardants and plastics were also found to be toxic to these microbes.
From Science Daily
Early laboratory tests indicate that the liquid produced when the plastics break down is not toxic, though Gu emphasized that further testing is needed to confirm long-term safety.
From Science Daily
Monterey County neighbors to the facility have complained of feeling sick since the fire, and a recent study detected toxic metals in nearby marshes.
From Los Angeles Times
These spaces help drain toxic waste products, including beta amyloid and tau proteins, which are found in high levels in people with Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
