Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

noxious

/ˈnɑkʃəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.91 in modern English

Syllables: nox-ious
IPA: /ˈnɑkʃəs/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Harmful; injurious.

Example Sentences

"In the living state, the body is observed to […] reject what is noxious; [...]"
"[...] many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair. If that repair does not come in time, the result is noxious and potentially hazardous."
"Immediately upon joining, Ms. Yaccarino had her work cut out for her. Mr. Musk quickly made changes that tore up much of the good will Twitter had with users, employees and advertisers, including changing speech policies that allowed noxious content to circulate on the platform. Many advertisers left."

Etymology

From Latin noxius (“hurtful, injurious”), from noxa (“hurt, injury”), from nocere (“to hurt, injure”); see nocent.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *neḱ-, noxius

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈnɑkʃəs/
British English: /ˈnɒkʃəs/

Inflected Forms

more noxious (comparative) most noxious (superlative) noctious (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

nonnoxious noxiously noxiousness unnoxious

Phrases

noxious stimulus noxious trade

Frequently Paired Words

obnoxious nocent innocent

Synonyms

harmful injurious scathing

Rhymes With

obnoxious

Questions

How do you pronounce noxious?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɑkʃəs/.
What does noxious mean?: Harmful; injurious.
Where does noxious come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce noxious

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “noxious”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɑkʃəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “noxious”.
Repeat and practice — Say “noxious” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.