carcinogenic
adjective
Jefferson KollePeter Bernfeld
Philip M. Boffey
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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 When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market.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
Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2025
Kennedy touted the importance of studying and regulating carcinogenic toxins in the environment, drawing from his decades of experience as an environmental lawyer advocating for clean waterways.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 31 Jan. 2025
While researchers haven’t yet established a direct link between Red 3 and cancer in people, substantial evidence from animal studies points to its carcinogenic potential.
—Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2025
Some of the earliest calls for Red No. 3’s removal date back to the 1980s, when a research study indicated the synthetic could be carcinogenic in rats after ingesting it in large enough amounts.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Carcinogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carcinogenic. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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carcinogenic
adjective
The Journal of the American Medical Association
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