Definition

Something that is poisonous or harmful to living things.

Example

The toxicant in the water supply caused serious health issues for the community.

Conversation

Did you hear about the new chemical they found in the river?

Yeah, I read it was a toxicant that could harm the wildlife.

That's really concerning; we need to be careful about what we use.

Absolutely, it's important to keep our environment safe.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Definition

A substance that can cause harm or illness to living organisms.

Example

The toxicant in the water supply made many people sick.

Conversation

I read that some plants can actually absorb toxicants from the soil.

Really? That sounds interesting, which plants are they?

I think succulents are among them; they help clean the air too.

Root Explanation

Toxicant is formed from "toxicum" (meaning poison) and the suffix "-ant" (meaning an agent or something that performs an action). The word refers to a substance that acts as a poison or toxic agent.

Memory Tip

Think of 'toxic' as relating to poison and '-ant' indicating an agent, so a toxicant is something that acts as a poison.

Visually Confused Words