1
: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation
toxic waste
a toxic radioactive gas
an insecticide highly toxic to birds
2
: exhibiting symptoms of infection or toxicosis
the patient became toxic two days later
3
: extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful
toxic sarcasm
4
: relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market
: a toxic substance
—usually used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of toxic in a Sentence
Adjective
The fumes from that chemical are highly toxic.
Tests will be run to determine if the landfill is toxic.
Noun
tested for toxics in the water supply
Recent Examples on the Web
Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
Because right now Russians are living under a toxic cloud of propaganda.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 May 2024
Many are located in and around communities where residents have been sickened by their toxic emissions.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
Even as the White House has increasingly supported bold overdose-reduction strategies, however, the U.S. drug supply has grown more toxic thanks largely to fentanyl and xylazine, and drug deaths have increased steadily.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 16 May 2024
There is no drug approved for RSV treatment, except the last resort toxic drug ribavirin.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024
Schneider was the primary subject of the Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which featured former Nickelodeon stars making allegations that the producer created a toxic work environment on shows like All That and The Amanda Show.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 15 May 2024
Though affairs often get chalked up to a miserable partner escaping a troubled, toxic relationship, the truth is that infidelity occurs even in healthy, stable marriages.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
Throughout the record, there are allusions to a toxic relationship that served as the impetus for his music.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2024
Blake is not an emasculated wimp; his confidence is complete, his suavity bordering on the toxic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The mold industry ignores all this and continues to call mold toxic.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Orange County Register, 22 Mar. 2024
Massive piles of mining waste around the rest of the 160-acre landscape enough to fill 250,000 dump trucks are contaminated with arsenic, mercury and other toxics.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024
Such pollutants are hazardous to human health even in small doses: mercury causes brain damage in children; acid gases cause serious lung diseases; and metal toxics, such as chromium and nickel, cause cancer.
—Fred Krupp, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017
Ultimately, a right-to-know law like Prop 65 can only go so far in addressing toxics in products.
—Robin Dodson, Fortune Well, 2 May 2023
The journey is a familiar one for California’s toxics.
—Robert Lewis, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2023
Because the whales feed near shore from the base of the food chain, even sucking up sediments and mud, their scat also could provide information about toxics in the environment, Giles said.
—Lynda Mapes, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Feb. 2020
Adjective
Could the damage have been caused by pesky environmentalists who object to the burying of such potentially toxic materials in Mother Earth?
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
Because right now Russians are living under a toxic cloud of propaganda.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 May 2024
Many are located in and around communities where residents have been sickened by their toxic emissions.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
Even as the White House has increasingly supported bold overdose-reduction strategies, however, the U.S. drug supply has grown more toxic thanks largely to fentanyl and xylazine, and drug deaths have increased steadily.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 16 May 2024
There is no drug approved for RSV treatment, except the last resort toxic drug ribavirin.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024
Schneider was the primary subject of the Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which featured former Nickelodeon stars making allegations that the producer created a toxic work environment on shows like All That and The Amanda Show.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 15 May 2024
Though affairs often get chalked up to a miserable partner escaping a troubled, toxic relationship, the truth is that infidelity occurs even in healthy, stable marriages.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
Throughout the record, there are allusions to a toxic relationship that served as the impetus for his music.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024
Noun
The Calvert City facilities have been repeatedly fined for leaking air toxics since at least 2010.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2024
Blake is not an emasculated wimp; his confidence is complete, his suavity bordering on the toxic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The mold industry ignores all this and continues to call mold toxic.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Orange County Register, 22 Mar. 2024
Massive piles of mining waste around the rest of the 160-acre landscape enough to fill 250,000 dump trucks are contaminated with arsenic, mercury and other toxics.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024
Such pollutants are hazardous to human health even in small doses: mercury causes brain damage in children; acid gases cause serious lung diseases; and metal toxics, such as chromium and nickel, cause cancer.
—Fred Krupp, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017
Ultimately, a right-to-know law like Prop 65 can only go so far in addressing toxics in products.
—Robin Dodson, Fortune Well, 2 May 2023
The journey is a familiar one for California’s toxics.
—Robert Lewis, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2023
Because the whales feed near shore from the base of the food chain, even sucking up sediments and mud, their scat also could provide information about toxics in the environment, Giles said.
—Lynda Mapes, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Feb. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toxic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to toxic
Dictionary Entries Near toxic
Cite this Entry
“Toxic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toxic. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toxic
1 of 2 adjective
tox·ic
ˈtäk-sik 
1
: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing serious injury or death
toxic drugs
toxic gas
2
: of, relating to, or caused by a poison or toxin
toxic liver damage
3
a
: affected by a poison or toxin
b
: affected with toxemia of pregnancy
toxic pregnant women
toxic
2 of 2 noun
: a toxic substance
Legal Definition
toxic
adjective
tox·ic
ˈtäk-sik
1
: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation
2
: having substantially lowered worth
specifically
: relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market
toxic assets
toxic subprime loans
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