nocivo

harmful, noxious

adjective NOH-chee-voh Rare

Origin: From Latin nocivus, from nocere (to harm).

Usage Note

Nocivo is used for substances, habits, or environments that are detrimental to health or well-being: sostanze nocive (harmful substances), fumo nocivo (noxious smoke). It is a more formal alternative to dannoso (damaging). The antonym is innocuo (harmless), which is a direct Latin cognate.

Examples

"Il fumo è nocivo per la salute."

Natural Translation

Smoking is harmful to health.

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