carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-nik How to pronounce carcinogenic (audio)
: producing or tending to produce cancer
a carcinogenic substance/compound/chemical
a chemical that has been found to have carcinogenic effects
Removing the carcinogenic mineral—used for years as a pipe and tank insulator—is a highly regulated process …Jefferson Kolle
carcinogenically adverb
The plant derivatives … are less carcinogenically active than those from the fossil fuels. Peter Bernfeld
carcinogenicity noun
The scientist, Dr. Bruce Ames, of the University of California at Berkeley, was the developer of the most widely used rapid laboratory test … for detecting the probable carcinogenicity of chemicals. Philip M. Boffey

Did you know?

It sometimes seems as if the list of carcinogenic substances gets longer every day. A substance such as a food additive that's been in common use for years may unexpectedly show signs of being carcinogenic in laboratory experiments. When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market. When a building material like asbestos turns out to be a carcinogen, it may also have to be physically removed from buildings. English has hundreds of other scientific words ending in -genic (such as allergenic), and in almost all of them the ending means "causing".

Examples of carcinogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Scientific research has long demonstrated that burning plastic emits toxic and carcinogenic gases. By Aryn Baker/lautoka, Fiji , TIME, 3 July 2024 Climate & Environment California sets nation-leading limit for carcinogenic chromium-6 in drinking water April 18, 2024 Officials projected that $2 billion in state grant funds will be available over five years, as well as $1.5 billion in state loans, leaving a substantial gap in available funding. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024 May 14, 2024 4 min read The carcinogenic effects of asbestos have been known for decades. Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 14 May 2024 The International Union for Conservation of Nature has found that carcinogenic chemicals found in plastic can leach into tap water, causing health harms, including developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune disorders. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for carcinogenic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carcinogenic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carcinogenic was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near carcinogenic

Cite this Entry

“Carcinogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carcinogenic. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Medical Definition

carcinogenic

adjective
car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkärs-ᵊn-ō-ˈjen-ik How to pronounce carcinogenic (audio)
: producing or tending to produce cancer
the carcinogenic action of certain chemicalsThe Journal of the American Medical Association
carcinogenically adverb
carcinogenicity noun
plural carcinogenicities

More from Merriam-Webster on carcinogenic

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