adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˌkɑː(ɹ)sɪnəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛnɪk
CMU ARPABET:K AA2 R S AH0 N OW0 JH EH1 N IH0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Causing or tending to cause cancer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cancerogenic
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Synonym of carcinogen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: carcinogen
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
causing or tending to cause cancer
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the carcinogenic action of certain chemicals
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English carcino- Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh1os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)lbor. French -gènebor. Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English -genic English carcinogenic From carcino- + -genic.
Across languages
Translations
46 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُسَرْطِن
(musarṭin)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Armenian:
քաղցկեղածին
(kʻaġcʻkeġacin)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Belarusian:
канцэрагенны
(kancerahjenny)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Catalan:
cancerigen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Catalan:
carcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Chinese Mandarin:
致癌的
(zhì'ái de)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Czech:
karcinogenní
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Danish:
kræftfremkaldende
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Danish:
karcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Dutch:
kankerverwekkend
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Esperanto:
kanceriga
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Finnish:
syöpää aiheuttava
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Finnish:
karsinogeeninen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
French:
cancérigène
— causing or tending to cause cancer
French:
carcinogène
— causing or tending to cause cancer
German:
krebserregend
— causing or tending to cause cancer
German:
karzinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Greek:
καρκινογόνος
(karkinogónos)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Hungarian:
karcinogén
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Hungarian:
rákokozó
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Hungarian:
rákkeltő
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Indonesian:
karsinogenik
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Irish:
carcanaigineach
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Italian:
cancerogeno
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Japanese:
発癌性
(hatsugansei)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Malay:
karsinogenik
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Norwegian Bokmål:
kreftfremkallende
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Norwegian Bokmål:
karsinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Polish:
rakotwórczy
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Polish:
kancerogenny
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Portuguese:
cancerígeno
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Portuguese:
carcinogênico
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Portuguese:
carcinogénico
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Romanian:
cancerigen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Romanian:
carcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Russian:
канцерогенный
(kancerogennyj)
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Serbo-Croatian:
karcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Serbo-Croatian:
kȁncerogēn
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Slovak:
karciogénny
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Spanish:
cancerígeno
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Swedish:
carcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Swedish:
karcinogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Swedish:
cancerframkallande
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Swedish:
cancerogen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Turkish:
kanserojen
— causing or tending to cause cancer
Ukrainian:
канцероге́нний
(kancerohénnyj)
— causing or tending to cause cancer