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 When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market.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

Lead is especially dangerous for children—in addition to carcinogenic qualities, the metal can hinder brain development. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

The agency first became aware that the additive was possibly carcinogenic following a study in the 1980s that found tumors in male rats who were exposed to it in high doses. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025

Wildfires also emit harmful gases, such as nitrogen oxides and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that, after infiltrating indoors— often through HVAC systems without adequate filtration— can accumulate on foods and food surfaces through particle deposition. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

One is that calcium can bind to bile acids in the colon and lower their potentially carcinogenic effects. —Michael Franco, New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2025

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