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tóxico

TOH-ksee-kohˈtoksiko

“tóxico” means “toxic” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

toxic

Also: poisonous, harmful
Latin America
A wilted, brown flower drooping in a pot next to a bright green, healthy plant.

📝 In Action

Ten cuidado, esos productos de limpieza son tóxicos.

A2

Be careful, those cleaning products are toxic.

Ella decidió salir de esa relación tóxica.

B1

She decided to get out of that toxic relationship.

El humo de los incendios es muy tóxico para los pulmones.

B2

Smoke from fires is very toxic for the lungs.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • relación tóxica – toxic relationship
  • residuos tóxicos – toxic waste
  • masculinidad tóxica – toxic masculinity

Idioms & Expressions

  • ser un tóxico / una tóxica – To be a person who is controlling, manipulative, or emotionally draining

toxin

Also: toxic substance
NounmC1formal
A green glass bottle with a skull and crossbones symbol on the front, sitting on a wooden table.

📝 In Action

El cuerpo trata de eliminar los tóxicos a través del hígado.

C1

The body tries to eliminate toxins through the liver.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "tóxico" in Spanish:

toxic substance→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: tóxico

Question 1 of 3

How would you say 'a toxic relationship' in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
toxicidad(toxicity) — Noun
intoxicar(to poison / to intoxicate) — Verb
intoxicación(poisoning) — Noun
desintoxicar(to detox) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
exóticoantibióticohipnótico
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin 'toxicum' (poison), which was borrowed from the Greek 'toxikon.' Interestingly, the Greek root referred to 'poison for arrows.'

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: toxicFrench: toxiqueItalian: tossico

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'tóxico' to mean 'drunk'?

No. While 'intoxicado' can mean 'poisoned' or 'under the influence' in some contexts, 'tóxico' only refers to the quality of being harmful or poisonous.

Is 'tóxico' an insult?

Yes, when applied to a person, it implies they are emotionally harmful or manipulative. It is common in slang but should be used carefully.

What's the feminine version of 'tóxico'?

The feminine version is 'tóxica'. You use it for feminine nouns like 'sustancia', 'persona', or 'amistad'.