carcinogen

noun

car·​cin·​o·​gen kär-ˈsi-nə-jən How to pronounce carcinogen (audio) ˈkär-sə-nə-ˌjen How to pronounce carcinogen (audio)
: a substance or agent causing cancer

Examples of carcinogen in a Sentence

Cigarette smoke contains known carcinogens.
Recent Examples on the Web
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According to public records, the inspection also found that GKN used materials containing hexavalent chrome, a dangerous carcinogen; used coatings containing toxic air contaminants; and exceeded facility-wide volatile organic compound emissions. Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 23 May 2026 Testing later revealed that the water sourced from the Flint River contained bacteria, carcinogens and elevated lead levels. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 May 2026 Ethylene oxide was already identified as a carcinogen by the state, but the new assessment updates its risk levels based on the new research. Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026 Chromium is classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for carcinogen

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carcinogen was in 1853

Cite this Entry

“Carcinogen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carcinogen. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

carcinogen

noun
car·​cin·​o·​gen kär-ˈsin-ə-jən How to pronounce carcinogen (audio) ˈkärs-ᵊn-ə-ˌjen How to pronounce carcinogen (audio)
: a substance that causes cancer
carcinogenic adjective

Medical Definition

carcinogen

noun
car·​cin·​o·​gen kär-ˈsin-ə-jən How to pronounce carcinogen (audio) ˈkärs-ᵊn-ə-ˌjen How to pronounce carcinogen (audio)
: a substance or agent causing cancer

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