NOXIOUSLY Synonyms: 217 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'noxious' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of noxious are baneful , deleterious , detrimental , and pernicious . While all these words mean "exceedingly harmful," noxious applies to what is both offensive and injurious to the health of a body or mind. // noxious chemical fumes

Q: When is it sensible to use 'baneful' instead of 'noxious'?

The words baneful and noxious can be used in similar contexts, but baneful implies injury through poisoning or destroying. // the baneful notion that discipline destroys creativity

Q: When would 'deleterious' be a good substitute for 'noxious'?

In some situations, the words deleterious and noxious are roughly equivalent. However, deleterious applies to what has an often unsuspected harmful effect. // a diet found to have deleterious effects

Q: When could 'detrimental' be used to replace 'noxious'?

While the synonyms detrimental and noxious are close in meaning, detrimental implies obvious harmfulness to something specified. // the detrimental effects of excessive drinking

Q: When might 'pernicious' be a better fit than 'noxious'?

The meanings of pernicious and noxious largely overlap; however, pernicious implies irreparable harm done through evil or insidious corrupting or undermining. // the claim that pornography has a pernicious effect on society

noxious

adjective

ˈnäk-shəs

Definition of noxious

as in poisonous

bad for the well-being of the body mixing bleach and ammonia can cause noxious fumes that can seriously harm you

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in harmful

causing or capable of causing harm noxious smog that for years has been encrusting the historic cathedral with soot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disgusting

causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment the website reserved the right to remove and report hate speech and other noxious types of postings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word noxious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of noxious are baneful, deleterious, detrimental, and pernicious. While all these words mean "exceedingly harmful," noxious applies to what is both offensive and injurious to the health of a body or mind.

noxious chemical fumes

When is it sensible to use baneful instead of noxious?

The words baneful and noxious can be used in similar contexts, but baneful implies injury through poisoning or destroying.

the baneful notion that discipline destroys creativity

When would deleterious be a good substitute for noxious?

In some situations, the words deleterious and noxious are roughly equivalent. However, deleterious applies to what has an often unsuspected harmful effect.

a diet found to have deleterious effects

When could detrimental be used to replace noxious?

While the synonyms detrimental and noxious are close in meaning, detrimental implies obvious harmfulness to something specified.

the detrimental effects of excessive drinking

When might pernicious be a better fit than noxious?

The meanings of pernicious and noxious largely overlap; however, pernicious implies irreparable harm done through evil or insidious corrupting or undermining.

the claim that pornography has a pernicious effect on society

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of noxious The vibes, less pollable but perhaps no less palpable, are noxious. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 While the noxious green is a novel addition to cooler temperature manicures, the shade is no newcomer. — Violet Hayward, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026 Snyder visually embodies noxious, xenophobic attitudes towards the Global South. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Beneath Lamb’s unkempt appearance, crude manners, noxious flatulence, and stinging remarks lies one of the sharpest minds in MI5 and a man fiercely protective of his brood of misfits. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for noxious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for noxious

Adjective

With the throne disengaged from governance, petitions and reports from officials piled up unread, crucial state posts went unfilled, and the imperial bureaucracy splintered amid poisonous factional infighting.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
With this potential even more poisonous investments in the bloated and indebted Paramount behemoth, there’s even more reason to reject it.

— Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of poisonous

Adjective

While the baits are not harmful to pets, eating several may cause mild stomach upset.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
The film primarily follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a Facebook employee in the company’s civic integrity team, the group tasked with making sure Facebook acts responsibly and avoids the harmful impacts of its product.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

That’s likely to inspire either affection or immediate exhaustion, depending on your fondness for the infamously disgusting performance group.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of disgusting

Adjective

As many have observed, and Republicans are somewhat ineffectually seeking to highlight, the post-Barack Obama Democratic Party has come to consist of little more than a toxic mixture of socialism, antisemitism and wokeness.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Several years later, DeLay was the force driving Clinton’s impeachment and was simply too toxic to seek the speaker’s chair.

— Michael Tarm, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of toxic

Adjective

Meanwhile, the financial clout of the industry has grown considerably, resulting in a new, more dangerous problem.

— Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Attempting to de-escalate the scare, Rospotrebnadzor declared the regional sanitary situation stable after secondary testing showed no traces of dangerous pathogens linked to Shipilova’s research.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of dangerous

Adjective

Without all that, the series misses out on the ugly, earthy, sensual details that could have complicated her past blank innocence.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
Earlier this season, the Seahawks coach described a dispute with Payton that got ugly enough for Seattle to threaten a lawsuit.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ugly

Adjective

Warnings of unhealthful air quality remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that has engulfed the Northeast in haze for days.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.

— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026

Definition of unhealthful

Adjective

Retaliation is described as an adverse employment action connected to an activity protected by a law under its jurisdiction.

— William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Eating Sweetened Foods With Protein Eating protein alongside sugary snacks can help stabilize your blood sugar and minimize the spikes that lead to a host of adverse health effects.

— Kelly Burch, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of adverse

Browse Nearby Words

nows

noxious

nozzle

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Style

“Noxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noxious. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of noxious

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