carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-nik 

: 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

ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

The plant derivatives … are less carcinogenically active than those from the fossil fuels.

—Peter Bernfeld

carcinogenicity

ˌkär-sə-nō-jə-ˈni-sə-tē 

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 When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market.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

The company claims there are no fillers, chemical dyes, pesticides, bleach, carcinogenic adhesives or chemical flame retardants. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 2 Nov. 2024

Also, amines are potential carcinogenic agents and can contaminate air, soil, and water, so plants need to figure in an attendant expense to manage environmental risks. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

PEGs are a class of synthetic ingredients that that go through a certain manufacturing process that produces a carcinogenic byproduct called 1,4-dioxane. —Becca Sax, refinery29.com, 22 Oct. 2024

High heat, such as broiling, can produce carcinogenic compounds, Visvanathan says. —Matt Fuchs, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkärs-ᵊn-ō-ˈjen-ik 

: producing or tending to produce cancer

the carcinogenic action of certain chemicals

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

carcinogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

carcinogenicity

-jə-ˈnis-ət-ē 

noun

plural carcinogenicities