toxicity
/tɔk'sisiti/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The quality or degree of being poisonous: The inherent property of a substance that can cause illness, injury, or death to a living organism.
- The potential to cause grave harm or death: The harmful or deadly effect of something, not necessarily a physical substance.
Usage
- Toxicity is a non-count noun used to describe the poisonous nature of a substance or situation. It is often discussed in scientific, medical, and environmental contexts.
- It can be modified by adjectives (e.g., , ) or described in terms of its degree or level.
Examples
- Noun:
- The toxicity of the chemical requires special handling procedures.
- Researchers are studying the long-term toxicity of this new medication.
- The toxicity of the online comments created a hostile environment.
Advanced Usage
- "Toxicity level": A measured degree of how poisonous something is.
- The lab report indicated a dangerously high toxicity level in the water sample.
- In a figurative/metaphorical sense: Used to describe a harmful, negative, or poisonous quality in non-physical contexts, such as relationships or culture.
- The manager addressed the toxicity in the workplace culture.
Variants and Related Words
- Toxic (adj): Poisonous; or figuratively, very harmful or unpleasant.
- The plant is toxic to cats.
- She left a toxic relationship.
- Toxin (n): A specific poisonous substance, often one produced by a living organism.
- The snake's venom contains a powerful toxin.
Synonyms
- Poisonousness: The quality of being poisonous. (More formal/literal)
- Virulence: The severity or harmfulness of a disease or poison. (Often used in medical contexts)
- Noxiousness: The quality of being harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.
Antonyms
- Safety: The condition of being protected from harm.
- Harmlessness: The quality of not causing harm.
- Benignity: The quality of being gentle, kind, or harmless.
Noun
- grave harmfulness or deadliness
- the degree to which something is poisonous