1
a
: physically harmful or destructive to living beings
noxious waste
noxious fumes
b
: constituting a harmful influence on mind or behavior
especially
: morally corrupting
noxious doctrines
2
: disagreeable, obnoxious
this noxious political scandal—
H. L. Ickes
H. L. Ickes
noxiously
adverb
noxiousness
noun
Synonyms
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Last week, the International Monetary Fund warned of the noxious combination of lower growth and higher debt.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The man, identified as 25-year-old George Vassiliou, was charged with assault, harassment, possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of noxious matter and criminal contempt for violating a protection order, the NYPD said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers batter protesters with plastic shields, and noxious plumes rise from the street where tear-gas canisters have been deployed.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
But this isn’t the first time Arizona officials have alerted the public to the noxious weed.
—Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
Minnesota: The state designated Callery pear trees as a noxious weed and has begun a three-year production phase-out period; the trees cannot be sold in 2026, according to the state's agriculture department.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
But the astronauts’ mishandling of switches during descent allowed a noxious gas to enter their chamber, affecting the lungs of all three crewmen and resulting in their brief hospitalization upon landing.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Smoke from the fires, particularly blazes that burned in Quebec, wafted as far south as Florida and blanketed several cities in the United States and southern Canada in a noxious cloud.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
This fascinating behavior, where the stomach is inverted, is believed to serve as a mechanism for expelling noxious or indigestible items from the gastrointestinal tract.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The man, identified as 25-year-old George Vassiliou, was charged with assault, harassment, possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of noxious matter and criminal contempt for violating a protection order, the NYPD said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers batter protesters with plastic shields, and noxious plumes rise from the street where tear-gas canisters have been deployed.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
But this isn’t the first time Arizona officials have alerted the public to the noxious weed.
—Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
Minnesota: The state designated Callery pear trees as a noxious weed and has begun a three-year production phase-out period; the trees cannot be sold in 2026, according to the state's agriculture department.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
But the astronauts’ mishandling of switches during descent allowed a noxious gas to enter their chamber, affecting the lungs of all three crewmen and resulting in their brief hospitalization upon landing.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Smoke from the fires, particularly blazes that burned in Quebec, wafted as far south as Florida and blanketed several cities in the United States and southern Canada in a noxious cloud.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
This fascinating behavior, where the stomach is inverted, is believed to serve as a mechanism for expelling noxious or indigestible items from the gastrointestinal tract.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noxious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Noxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noxious. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
noxious
adjective
nox·ious
ˈnäk-shəs 
: harmful especially to health : unwholesome
noxious fumes
Medical Definition
noxious
adjective
nox·ious
ˈnäk-shəs
: physically harmful or destructive to living beings
noxious wastes
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