# toxic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈtɒk.sɪk/ · frequency rank #4,807

## Definitions
1. Having a chemical nature that is harmful to health or lethal if consumed or otherwise entering into the body in sufficient quantities.
2. Appearing grossly unwell; characterised by serious, potentially life-threatening compromise in the respiratory, circulatory or other body systems.
3. Severely negative or harmful.
4. Of a person, hateful or strongly antipathetic.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French toxique, from Late Latin toxicus (“poisoned”), from Latin toxicum (“poison”), from Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón) [φάρμακον (phármakon)] ("poison for use on arrows"), from τοξικός (toxikós, “pertaining to arrows or archery”), from τόξον (tóxon, “bow”).

## Easily confused with
- **toxin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toxic-vs-toxin)
- **tunic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toxic-vs-tunic)
- **tropic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toxic-vs-tropic)
- **tic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tic-vs-toxic)
- **TOI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toi-vs-toxic)
- **ToC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toc-vs-toxic)
- **taxi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/taxi-vs-toxic)
- **Toni** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toni-vs-toxic)
- **tori** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tori-vs-toxic)
- **toil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toil-vs-toxic)
- **topic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/topic-vs-toxic)
- **taxis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/taxis-vs-toxic)
- **tonic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tonic-vs-toxic)
- **Tobin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tobin-vs-toxic)
- **topics** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/topics-vs-toxic)

## Common misspellings (7)
`otxic`, `toixc`, `toxci`, `toxicc`, `toxxic`, `ttoxic`, `txoic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/toxic