Toxic, in its informal sense, means harmful to you: it describes a person, relationship or job that wears you down over a long time and makes you unhappy. The second meaning is simply nasty or unacceptable: toxic comments, toxic behaviour.
Could you drop toxic into a text?
Write a short message — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
a toxic + relationship/friend/boss/workplace; be (really) toxic; toxic behaviour
- I finally left that toxic job, and I'm sleeping so much better now.
- Their relationship is really toxic, they fight every weekend and never apologise.
- The comments under his video got so toxic that he turned them off.
What changed
First versionHonestly, my ex was a toxic, I'm glad it's over.
RevisionHonestly, my ex was toxic, I'm glad it's over.
In English, toxic is only an adjective, so it can't take a as if it were a noun. Remove the article: my ex was toxic. If you need a noun, add one: a toxic person.
People call a person, job or relationship toxic when the harm builds up over time. If someone was rude once, that's rude, not toxic: He was rude today, but he isn't toxic. In IELTS Speaking, toxic workplace or toxic relationship sound fine; they're ordinary conversational vocabulary. In an essay, unhealthy relationship or hostile working environment is more precise.
Your turn
For two years, my manager has shouted at us in meetings and taken credit for our work. Everyone agrees he's ___.
Show the answer
toxic — For two years the manager has shouted at everyone and taken credit for their work: that's long-term harm, so toxic. Salty means sulky or annoyed over something small; it describes a mood, not someone who makes life miserable for a whole team.
Tell a friend about an environment, relationship or person that used to drain you. Use toxic and say what exactly was wrong.
My old flatmate was so toxic, she read my messages and complained about everything I cooked.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.