adj
cancerous
KAN-suh-ruhs
adj
1
Affected by or related to cancer.
"The biopsy confirmed the growth was cancerous."
2
Figuratively, spreading harmfully like a disease.
"Bureaucratic waste had become cancerous within the department."
How to Use Cancerous
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribing something that is, or behaves like, cancer — malignant or destructively spreading.
Word Forms
more cancerous comparative, most cancerous superlative
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Etymology
From Latin cancerosus, from cancer, "tumour", plus the adjective suffix -osus.