carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-nik 

: producing or tending to produce cancer

a carcinogenic substance/compound/chemical

a chemical that has been found to have carcinogenic effects

Removing the carcinogenic mineral—used for years as a pipe and tank insulator—is a highly regulated process …

—Jefferson Kolle

carcinogenically

ˌkär-sə-nō-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

The plant derivatives … are less carcinogenically active than those from the fossil fuels.

—Peter Bernfeld

carcinogenicity

ˌkär-sə-nō-jə-ˈni-sə-tē 

noun

The scientist, Dr. Bruce Ames, of the University of California at Berkeley, was the developer of the most widely used rapid laboratory test … for detecting the probable carcinogenicity of chemicals.

—Philip M. Boffey

Did you know?

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 When that happens, the suspected carcinogen will often have to be withdrawn from the market.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

Recent Examples on the Web

But according to the chemical analyses, there is potential for carcinogenic and other toxic effects, says Sandy Tsao, MD, a dermatologist at Mass General Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the research. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 12 Feb. 2026

Among the chemicals identified were benzyl chloride, a compound used in the production of sanitizers and plasticizers that is possibly carcinogenic and can cause harm to the lungs and digestive tract. —Claretta Bellamy, NBC news, 12 Feb. 2026

The researchers also flagged some samples with small traces of fluorine, a chemical that can lead to lower birth rates in high doses, as well as organohalogens and nitroaromatics—both known to have carcinogenic effects. —Aude Konan, Scientific American, 11 Feb. 2026

The fire took place days before the Food and Drug Administration released a warning that some Virgin Scent hand sanitizers contained unacceptable levels of benzene, acetal and acetaldehyde, each of which are hazardous and potentially carcinogenic. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carcinogenic

• angiogenic
• anthropogenic
• atherogenic
• cardiogenic
• embryogenic
• iatrogenic
• immunogenic
• metallogenic
• methanogenic
• nonpathogenic
• odontogenic
• osteogenic

Medical Definition

carcinogenic

adjective

car·​ci·​no·​gen·​ic ˌkärs-ᵊn-ō-ˈjen-ik 

: producing or tending to produce cancer

the carcinogenic action of certain chemicals

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

carcinogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

carcinogenicity

-jə-ˈnis-ət-ē 

noun

plural carcinogenicities