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toxic

Syllabification: (tox·ic)
Pronunciation: /ˈtäksik/

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Definition of toxic

adjective

  • 1poisonous:the dumping of toxic waste alcohol is toxic to the ovaries
  • relating to or caused by poison:toxic hazards toxic liver injury
  • very bad, unpleasant, or harmful:a toxic relationship
  • 2 Finance denoting or relating to debt that has a high risk of default.
  • denoting securities that are based on toxic debt and for which there is not a healthy or functioning market:the financial system has become clogged with toxic assets

noun

(toxics)
  • poisonous substances.

Derivatives

toxically

Pronunciation: /-sik(ə)lē/

adverb

toxicity

Pronunciation: /täkˈsisitē/

noun

Origin:

mid 17th century: from medieval Latin toxicus 'poisoned', from Latin toxicum 'poison', from Greek toxikon (pharmakon) '(poison for) arrows', from toxon 'bow'

toxic in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of toxic in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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