toxicity

noun

tox·​ic·​i·​ty täk-ˈsi-sə-tē 

plural toxicities

: the quality or state of being toxic: such as

a

: the quality, state, or relative degree of being poisonous

measuring the toxicity level of the soil

The toxicity of some chemical agents degrades significantly over time, so it is unclear how lethal the stockpiles are.

—David S. Cloud

Administering a cocktail of drugs would dilute the toxicities of the different drugs and minimize the development of viral resistance to them.

—Rudy M. Baum and Ron Dagani

b

: an extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful quality

In the past few days, I've tuned in to C-SPAN to watch a number of the televised Senate debates, which illustrate all too vividly the toxicity of an uncivil tongue.

—Connie Schultz

In much of the ensuing commentary, court watchers worried that the justices' soaring rates of written dissents, nasty and personal attacks and scathing remarks read aloud from the bench bespeak a new toxicity in Supreme Court discourse.

—Dahlia Lithwick

Did you know?

Toxicity is often a relative thing; in the words of a famous old saying, "The dose makes the poison". Thus, it's possible to die from drinking too much water, and lives have been saved by tiny doses of arsenic. Even though botulinum toxin is the most toxic substance known, it's the basic ingredient in Botox, which is injected into the face to get rid of wrinkles. With some poisons, mere skin contact can be lethal; others are lethal when breathed into the lungs in microscopic amounts. To determine if a chemical will be officially called a poison, researchers often use the "LD50" test: If 50 milligrams of the substance for every kilogram of an animal's body weight results in the death of 50% of test animals, the chemical is a poison. But there are problems with such tests, and toxicity remains a very individual concept.

Examples of toxicity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Testing your water supply for toxicity can be expensive for most people. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 12 Apr. 2024

Symptoms of niacin toxicity include flushed skin, itching sensations, feelings of nausea, headaches, vomiting episodes, dizziness, and pain in the upper abdomen. —Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024

Brandon, an aspiring stand-up comic, died of fentanyl and ethanol toxicity in January 2023 following a years-long battle with addiction to painkillers. —Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Fenugreek supplements can potentially lead to liver toxicity in excess. —Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 24 Mar. 2024

Stanford sophomore and history buff Eitan Weiner died from fentanyl toxicity in 2020 from ingesting counterfeit Percocet pills. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024

Daffodils are differentiated from other flowers that grow from bulbs by their toxicity. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024

Despite all this, the general vibe is that there’s no ill-will toward Levinson, at least on the cast side, who still seems very supportive of him despite the delays and previous seemingly-not-true reports about set toxicity. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

This is important information that will help the vet determine the level of toxicity and know how to treat your dog. —Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

toxicity

noun

tox·​ic·​i·​ty täk-ˈsis-ət-ē 

plural toxicities

: the quality, state, or relative degree of being toxic or poisonous