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 When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market.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

What to know:Processed meat is 'carcinogenic,' but how much is dangerous? Is ham healthy? —Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024

Stunning stat: The World Health Organization in 2022 declared that simply working as a firefighter is inherently carcinogenic — not only from exposure to burning toxins but to protective gear treated with chemicals such as PFAS. —Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has said this type of radiation is possibly carcinogenic, but the FDA and the National Cancer Institute say there’s not enough evidence to support that. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024

What if research is indicating that these dyes could be causing behavioral changes in our children, and may even be carcinogenic? —Anne Michaud, Hartford Courant, 4 Nov. 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