toxicity
noun
David S. CloudRudy M. Baum and Ron DaganiConnie SchultzDahlia Lithwick
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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
Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 26 Dec. 2025
But this moment in time does feel closer to the toxicity of the early ’00s, when tabloids freely and shamelessly compared celebrity bikini bodies and bloggers speculated about every pound lost or gained.
—Michelle Konstantinovsky, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
They can also be stimulated by the absence of male toxicity.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Political speeches, diversity discussions, controversial wins — all of it will generate instant, unfiltered reactions that could range from thoughtful commentary to absolute toxicity.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Toxicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toxicity. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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toxicity
noun
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