oncogenic

adjective

on·​co·​gen·​ic ˌäŋ-kō-ˈje-nik 

1

: relating to tumor formation

2

: tending to cause tumors

oncogenicity

ˌäŋ-kō-jə-ˈni-sə-tē 

noun

Examples of oncogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At a cellular level, this included changes in mitochondrial structure, cell cycle regulation, membrane voltage potential, and key oncogenic pathways, including FOXM1, a major driver of cancer proliferation and metastasis. — Lorenzo Cohen, STAT, 22 Sep. 2026

There isn’t sufficient evidence to indicate that COVID is an oncogenic, or cancer-causing, virus, a half-dozen researchers contacted for this article said. — Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Recurrent damage within cells results in apoptosis, a rescue mechanism preventing oncogenic transformation but also triggering a cascade of events that promote aging and aging-related disorders. — Salvatore Viscomi, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023

The oncogenic mutation in the proto-oncogene converts one of the amino acids in the cell, glycine, into cystine. — Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 26 Oct. 2022

Scientists can’t fully control where in the body its genes are introduced; Bluebird tried to determine whether its gene had been inserted into an oncogenic location—a place with cancer-causing potential. — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

onco- + -genic

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oncogenic

• allergenic
• androgenic
• antigenic
• authigenic
• autogenic
• biogenic
• bronchogenic
• chromogenic
• cryogenic
• echogenic
• estrogenic
• isogenic

Medical Definition

oncogenic

adjective

on·​co·​gen·​ic -ˈjen-ik 

variants also oncogenous

äŋ-ˈkäj-ə-nəs 

1

: relating to tumor formation

2

: tending to cause tumors

an oncogenic virus

oncogenic tars

oncogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

oncogenicity

-jə-ˈnis-ət-ē 

noun