toxic

[tok-sik]

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison.

   a toxic condition.

2. acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.

   a toxic drug.

3. causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious: toxic criticism.

   a toxic boyfriend who wanted complete control over her;

   toxic criticism.

4. Finance.

   1. pertaining to or noting debt that will probably not be repaid.

      toxic mortgages.

   2. 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.

noun

1. a toxic chemical or other substance.

toxic

/ ˈtɒksɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or poison; poisonous

2. harmful or deadly

3. (of a financial asset) likely to cause significant loss to the holder

toxic

1. Relating to or caused by a toxin.

2. Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.

Other Word Forms

• toxically adverb
• hypertoxic adjective
• nontoxic adjective
• nontoxically adverb
• posttoxic adjective
• untoxic adjective
• untoxically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of toxic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of toxic¹

C17: from medical Latin toxicus, from Latin toxicum poison, from Greek toxikon ( pharmakon ) (poison) used on arrows, from toxon arrow

Example Sentences

"From the perspective of inter-species competition, the observation that toxic exposures can offer an overall survival advantage offers a fresh paradigm for environmental medicine to examine the evolutionary roots of disorders linked to environmental exposures."

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Asbestos, once widely used in building materials, can release toxic fibres into the air if disturbed or processed that can cling to the lungs and - over decades - cause cancer.

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Traditional cooling systems often rely on compressing a chemical coolant, which can be toxic.

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Higher longer-duration borrowing rates, however, could keep the housing market on ice, stifle returns in the highflying tech sector and potentially point to a slowing labor market, plus a toxic brew of inflation.

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Part of the reasoning in 2018 was site investigations found the ground underlain with peat deposits, as well as toxic and phytotoxic - meaning poisonous to plants - risk from shallow soils.

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Related Words

• deadly 
• harmful 
• lethal 
• noxious 
• pernicious 
• virulent