carious

1 9.6

A tooth or bone with a hole from decay

adjective
/ˈkɛəriəs/

Specialized

: carioso

Some of his teeth were missing; the others were carious.
carious teeth

Examples

Silas rode close to Lem, leaned over, and slapped him on the back, his carious teeth visible through his thick beard.

Fiction book (1994)
The dentist warned her that several of her teeth were carious and needed treatment.
He was embarrassed about his carious teeth, which were visible whenever he smiled.
After examining the x-rays, the doctor explained that his carious teeth would eventually cause severe pain.

Antonyms

healthy

800 1.0

In good body and mind condition without sickness or injury

sound

77 2.3

In good condition and safe to use

How Decayed

rotten

70 1.0

carious

Specialized

1 9.6

sound

77 2.3

Surface Forms

carious positive

Morphology

carious = caries (semi-transparent) = caries + ous

Formed directly from the medical noun 'caries' + -ous so the relation is direct, but the base is specialized/technical and unlikely to be known by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word carious comes from the Latin word caries, which means 'decay' or 'rot' and is the medical name for tooth decay. So a carious tooth is one that is rotten and has a hole or cavity.