adjective
toxic
TOK-sihk
adjective
1
Poisonous; capable of causing illness or death if it enters the body.
"The factory was fined for dumping toxic waste into the river."
"Some houseplants are toxic to cats and dogs."
2
Harmful, damaging, or destructive, especially to relationships or mental wellbeing.
"She finally left the toxic relationship after years of put-downs."
"Constant office gossip created a toxic atmosphere on the team."
How to Use Toxic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishPoisonous, or (informally) deeply harmful to a person's mood, relationships, or environment.
Memory tip
The word originally meant literally poisonous, but today it's just as often used loosely for people or situations that make you feel bad.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
toxic waste
toxic relationship
toxic chemical
toxic environment
Word Forms
more toxic comparative, most toxic superlative
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Etymology
From French toxique, from Latin toxicum ("poison"), ultimately from Greek toxikon, "poison for arrows" — from toxon, "bow."