toxic

/ˈtɒksɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɑːksɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtäk-sik/ (ame, mw)

toxic — 形容詞

  • toxicpositive
  • more toxiccomparative
  • most toxicsuperlative

1. containing poison or harmful chemicals that can make people, animals, or plants

1.形容詞B1
釋義

有毒的

含有對生物有害的化學物質

containing poison or harmful chemicals that can make people, animals, or plants ill or cause death if swallowed, breathed in, or touched.

例句

Factory workers must wear protective masks when handling toxic chemicals.

工廠工人處理有毒化學品時必須穿戴防護口罩。

collocation: toxic chemicals / toxic fumes / toxic waste

The river became toxic after the factory dumped waste into it.

工廠將廢棄物傾倒進河裡後，河水就變得有毒了。

同義詞
  • poisonous

    more common in everyday contexts involving plants, food, and animals

  • noxious

    restricted to gases, fumes, and smells that harm health

  • deadly

    emphasises the fatal result rather than the chemical nature

反義詞
  • non-toxic

    describes substances that are safe to handle or consume

  • harmless

    broader term for anything that causes no damage

文法句型

toxic + noun

be + toxic

用法筆記

Frequently used attributively before nouns describing harmful substances: toxic waste, toxic fumes, toxic chemicals.

常見錯誤

❌This snake is toxic.
✅This snake is venomous.
💡'toxic' describes things that poison when eaten or absorbed; 'venomous' describes animals that inject poison through a bite or sting.

2. describes words, actions, or a person's character as extremely unkind, cruel, or

2.形容詞B2
釋義

惡毒的

言語或行為極具惡意、傷人的

describes words, actions, or a person's character as extremely unkind, cruel, or deliberately hurtful to others.

例句

Harper's toxic remarks made everyone in the office feel anxious and worthless.

Harper 那些惡毒的言論讓辦公室裡的每個人都感到焦慮和沒有價值。

collocation: toxic remarks / toxic comments / toxic behaviour

The coach's toxic behaviour toward the younger players finally got him fired.

那位教練對年輕球員的惡劣行為最後讓他被開除了。

同義詞
  • malicious

    more formal, emphasises deliberate intention to harm

  • poisonous

    informal synonym for a cruel or unpleasant person

  • nasty

    less intense, describes generally unpleasant rather than deeply harmful behaviour

反義詞
  • kind

    describes warm, considerate behaviour

  • supportive

    specifically about offering help and encouragement

文法句型

toxic + noun (remarks, behaviour, person)

be + toxic

用法筆記

Commonly used in informal contexts about interpersonal behaviour. Subject is typically a person, their words (remarks, comments), or treatment of others.

常見錯誤

❌He is a toxic person' (when you mean physically poisoned).
✅He is a toxic person' (meaning cruel or manipulative) is correct in modern usage
💡context determines whether you mean literal poison or cruel behaviour.

3. describes a relationship, workplace, or social setting where ongoing negative pa

3.形容詞B2
釋義

有害的

關係或環境長期造成心理傷害的

describes a relationship, workplace, or social setting where ongoing negative patterns gradually damage a person's emotional well-being.

例句

Luca finally left the toxic environment of his old workplace last month.

Luca 上個月終於離開了前公司那個有害的工作環境。

collocation: toxic environment / toxic workplace / toxic relationship

Maja ended her two-year relationship with Dario when he saw how toxic it had become.

Maja 在與 Dario 交往兩年後終於分手了，因為她發現這段感情變得多麼有害。

collocation: toxic relationship

同義詞
  • unhealthy

    less intense, describes a negative dynamic without implying deliberate harm

  • destructive

    emphasises the damage being caused

  • abusive

    stronger, implies serious mistreatment rather than general negativity

反義詞
  • healthy

    describes a positive, supportive environment

  • nurturing

    emphasises growth and care

文法句型

toxic + noun (relationship, environment, culture)

become + toxic

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (CRUEL BEHAVIOR): sense 2 targets a person's character or words; this sense targets the overall atmosphere or system (workplace, family, culture) rather than an individual's actions.

常見錯誤

❌The office culture is very toxic person.
✅The office culture is very toxic.
💡'toxic' describes the culture itself; do not add 'person' when describing an environment.

4. describes loans, investments, or debts that have become so risky or worthless th

4.形容詞C1
釋義

不良的

完全無法脫手或回收的金融產品

describes loans, investments, or debts that have become so risky or worthless that they cannot be easily sold or recovered.

例句

The bank lost billions on toxic mortgage loans during the financial crisis.

那家銀行在金融危機期間因為不良房貸損失了數十億。

collocation: toxic debt / toxic assets / toxic loans

Constanza warned investors against buying toxic debt from struggling banks.

Constanza 警告投資人不要購買那些陷入困境的銀行所發行的不良債券。

同義詞
反義詞
  • safe

    describes low-risk investments

  • liquid

    describes assets that can be easily sold

文法句型

toxic + noun (assets, debt, loans)

用法筆記

Restricted to financial contexts. Most commonly appears in the noun phrases 'toxic assets' and 'toxic debt.' Frequently used in past-tense reporting of financial crises.

常見錯誤

❌My personal loan became toxic.
✅The bank's mortgage portfolio contained toxic assets.
💡'toxic' in finance applies to institutional debt and investments, not ordinary personal loans.

toxic — 名詞

toxic — 構詞成分