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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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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 Their eyes stinging from the noxious substance, cops managed to tackle Baraket to the ground and take her into custody. Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025 One of the two Chinese nationals arrested for allegedly smuggling a toxic crop-killing pathogen, which also has devastating health effects on humans, stuffed the noxious fungus into her boots while entering the U.S. in 2022, documents show. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025 Marian Flanders, 79, wondered about the potentially noxious chemicals that spread as a result of the explosion into crops and air. Ishani Desai july 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2025 In the past couple of years, the volume of sewage flows, laced with contaminated stormwater, noxious chemicals and trash, has been the highest in the last quarter-century, worsening conditions for those living and working nearby. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for noxious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noxious
Adjective
  • Gastroenteritis is a good reason to refrain from consuming cocaine, various heavy metals or poisonous mushrooms.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
  • Then his heart beat its last, and the poisonous moth embraced him.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • That might help researchers discover which technology helps what kinds of people best and which makes no impact or is harmful to brain health.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Pavi, like the many disabled characters in the Avatar universe that came before her, can serve as a reminder that inclusivity isn’t harmful to good storytelling but is a key part of it.
    Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Adjective
  • There is no way around it: Toilet brushes are disgusting.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 July 2025
  • Nearly 200 pounds of disgusting mats and fur was removed, which equates to an average of 1.5 pounds per dog.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • Evidence, while not conclusive, suggested the babies died from breathing in toxic black mold contaminating their homes due to water leaks.
    Matt Fuchs, Time, 28 July 2025
  • But too much of one specific type of algae can be toxic, causing a harmful algal bloom, also sometimes known as a red tide.
    Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 26 July 2025
Adjective
  • Here's what each means, according to the NWS: Heat advisory: A heat advisory is the lowest level and is issued for dangerous heat conditions that are not expected to reach the criteria for a more serious alert.
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 24 July 2025
  • More dangerous heat waves The Great Lakes region warmed substantially faster in the six years since the last assessment than it did in decades prior, the report shows.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • These are the kind of ugly games that sometimes get played when GMs and coaches grow apart and pressure builds on their job securities and livelihoods.
    Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 21 July 2025
  • In 1996, Cantor died, and Lutnick, after an ugly succession battle with Cantor’s widow, Iris, took control.
    Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.
    Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
  • The unhealthful effects of autocracy remain robust even when accounting for economic differences and when excluding Venezuela and its collapsing health-care system.
    Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2020
Adjective
  • The team identified three distinct behavioral phenotypes as a result of their experiments, representing the varying sensitivity of people to the adverse consequences (punishment) of their actions.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025
  • Without such data, the systems can serve adverse, false results or fail to understand the context of a user’s query, among other issues.
    Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 22 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Noxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noxious. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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