Word
carcinogenic
Phoneticscar·cino·genic
US/ˌkɑɹsənoʊˈdʒɛnɪk/
UK/kˌɑːsɪnəʊdʒˈɛnɪk/
Definition
adj. describing something that can cause cancer in living tissue. You use this to talk about chemicals or substances that are dangerous to your health.
adj. relating to, or causing, the development of cancer. Often used in medical or scientific contexts to describe substances or radiation that damage DNA.
Examples
“The factory stopped using carcinogenic chemicals in its new process.”
“Health officials issued a warning after discovering that the local water supply contained a known carcinogenic substance.”
“While some environmental factors are clearly carcinogenic, others may only contribute to the risk of cancer when combined with genetic predispositions or lifestyle choices.”
Examples
simple
“The factory stopped using carcinogenic chemicals in its new process.”
contextual
“Health officials issued a warning after discovering that the local water supply contained a known carcinogenic substance.”
complex
“While some environmental factors are clearly carcinogenic, others may only contribute to the risk of cancer when combined with genetic predispositions or lifestyle choices.”
Real-World Examples
“Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans" when used according to label directions.” “Agent Orange, DDT and Roundup were all made by Monsanto, as were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – indestructible compounds that were hailed as miracle chemicals until they were discovered to be toxic and carcinogenic.” Etymology
From carcino- + -genic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/carcinogenic