cancer
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a serious disease where cells in the body grow in a way that is not controlled.
n.a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. Uncountable when referring to the disease generally; countable when referring to a specific instance or type.
Simple“Early detection is very important for treating many types of cancer successfully.”
In context“Recent advancements in immunotherapy have significantly improved the prognosis for patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.”
Synonymsmalignancytumor - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the fourth sign of the zodiac, represented by a crab, for people born in late June and early July.
n.the fourth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the crab; the sun enters this sign at the summer solstice.
Simple“My sister was born in early July, so her star sign is Cancer.”
In context“In traditional astrology, Cancer is considered a water sign ruled by the Moon, associated with emotional depth and intuition.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who was born under the star sign of Cancer.
n.a person born when the sun is in the zodiacal sign of Cancer.
Simple“She is a typical Cancer because she loves being at home with her family.”
In context“As a Cancer, he often found himself more affected by the changing phases of the moon than his peers.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.a very rude way to describe something that you think is terrible or annoying.
adj.used to describe something perceived as extremely toxic, unpleasant, or socially harmful.
Simple“The comments section on that video is absolutely cancer.”
In context“The moderator resigned, citing the cancer culture that had taken over the forum's political discussion boards.”
UsageUsually used to describe online communities, behaviors, or media content.
Teacher's tipThis sense is highly offensive to many people because it trivializes a serious disease; students should avoid using it in professional or polite settings.
Usage cancer diagnosis · cancer research · cancer treatment
“Then there was a mum with cancer who wanted a space for her young daughter to play.”
“But I've also learned a valuable lesson - that I could be more at risk of skin cancer because of my freckles.”
Learned borrowing from Latin cancer (“crab”), calque of Ancient Greek Καρκίνος (Karkínos, “crab”), calque of Akkadian 𒀀𒇻𒌅 (allutu, “crab”), from Sumerian 𒀯𒀠𒈜 (ᵐᵘˡAL.LUL, “crab; name of constellation”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.