Noxious — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈnäk-shəs/ nox·ious

Meaning & Definition of Noxious

Noxious (adjective)

  1. physically harmful or destructive to living beings
  2. constituting a harmful influence on mind or behavior; especially, morally corrupting
  3. disagreeable, obnoxious

Noxious (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. bad for the well-being of the body

    "mixing bleach and ammonia can cause noxious fumes that can seriously harm you"

    similar: insalubrious, noisome, sickly, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome
    related: germy, insanitary, unhygienic, unsanitary, nonnutritious, poisonous, toxic, fatal, lethal, mortal
    opposite: healthful, healthy
    near: hygienic, sanitary, nutritious

  2. causing or capable of causing harm

    "noxious smog that for years has been encrusting the historic cathedral with soot"

    similar: adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked
    related: hostile, inimical, unfriendly, contagious, deadly, infectious, infective, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, poisonous, venomous, insidious, menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, unsound, nasty, noisome, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, destructive, fatal, killer, lethal, malignant, ruinous
    opposite: anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe
    near: advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, good, propitious, curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

  3. causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

    "the website reserved the right to remove and report hate speech and other noxious types of postings"

    similar: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly
    related: exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile, off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy, distressing, disturbing, upsetting
    opposite: innocuous, inoffensive
    near: acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory, sweet, welcome, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Noxious

The most common words with a similar meaning to Noxious:

insalubrious, noisome, sickly, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Noxious

Words with the opposite meaning of Noxious:

healthful, healthy, anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe

Related Words for Noxious

germy, insanitary, unhygienic, unsanitary, nonnutritious, poisonous, toxic, fatal, lethal, mortal, hostile, inimical, unfriendly, contagious, deadly, infectious, infective, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, venomous, insidious, menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous

Near Antonyms of Noxious

hygienic, sanitary, nutritious, advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, good, propitious, curative, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous, acceptable, agreeable

Word Forms of Noxious

Derived words: noxiously (adverb), noxiousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Noxious

Middle English noxius, borrowed from Latin noxius "guilty, delinquent, harmful, injurious" (derivative of noxa "injurious behavior, harm, mischief") + -us -ous; noxa derivative (perhaps with -s- as a desiderative suffix) from the base of nocēre "to damage (things), injure, harm (persons)," going back to Indo-European *noḱ-éi̯e- "destroy" (with semantic weakening in Latin), whence also Sanskrit nāśáyati "(s/he) destroys," causative derivatives from a verbal base *neḱ- "disappear, pass out of existence, perish," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Sanskrit náśyati "(s/he) is lost, perishes," Avestan nąsat̰ "has gone away, is lost," Tocharian B näk- "destroy," (in middle voice) "disappear, be destroyed"

First known use: 15th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Noxious

What does "Noxious" mean?

"Noxious" means physically harmful or destructive to living beings. As an adjective, it is defined as: physically harmful or destructive to living beings. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Noxious"?

Other words for "Noxious" include insalubrious, noisome, sickly, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, adverse and bad. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Noxious" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Noxious"?

There are 138 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Noxious". Common alternatives include insalubrious, noisome, sickly, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, adverse, bad, baleful and baneful.

What is the opposite of "Noxious"?

Antonyms of "Noxious" include healthful, healthy, anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent and innocuous. Near antonyms include hygienic, sanitary, nutritious and advantageous.

How do you use "Noxious" in a sentence?

Examples of "Noxious" in a sentence: "mixing bleach and ammonia can cause noxious fumes that can seriously harm you"; "noxious smog that for years has been encrusting the historic cathedral with soot"; "the website reserved the right to remove and report hate speech and other noxious types of postings".

Is "Noxious" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Noxious" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Noxious"?

"Noxious" is pronounced /ˈnäk-shəs/ and divided into syllables as nox·ious.

What is the origin of the word "Noxious"?

"Noxious" comes from Middle English noxius, borrowed from Latin noxius "guilty, delinquent, harmful, injurious" (derivative of noxa "injurious behavior, harm, mischief") + -us -ous; noxa derivative (perhaps with -s- as a desiderative suffix) from the base of nocēre "to damage (things), injure, harm (persons)," going back to Indo-European *noḱ-éi̯e- "destroy" (with semantic weakening in Latin), whence also Sanskrit nāśáyati "(s/he) destroys," causative derivatives from a verbal base *neḱ- "disappear, pass out of existence, perish," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Sanskrit náśyati "(s/he) is lost, perishes," Avestan nąsat̰ "has gone away, is lost," Tocharian B näk- "destroy," (in middle voice) "disappear, be destroyed". First known use: 15th century.