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Glite Dictionary
to turn toxic

to turn toxic

6.8
To become very unpleasant and harmful in a relationship or group
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : volverse tóxico
  • And so whenever you unwrap sugar from its fiber source, right, turn fruit into juice, it turns toxic in your body.

All right, That feeling of neglect can turn toxic.

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Examples

  • Someone's got their back and it just turns toxic so very, very fast.

  • Someone's got their back and it just turns toxic so very, very fast.

  • The problem is that people consume so much of it that it turns toxic by virtue of the fact that your body cannot use it.

    Blog text (18)

  • "Without addressing these issues, tension can fester and workplace culture can turn toxic.

    Blog text (3)

  • I also tell people that the minute it turns toxic again, if you do slip and you do break your no contact, when it slips and goes toxic, you can turn it off again.

    DoctorRamani

  • I also tell people that the minute it turns toxic again, if you do slip and you do break your no contact, when it slips and goes toxic, you can turn it off again.

    DoctorRamani

  • Rieff reminds us how the memory of injustice can turn toxic, fueling a politics of grudge and grievance.

    Academic text (2016)

  • "In some groups, rivalry can quickly turn toxic, leading to hostility and distrust among members."

  • "When criticism is constant, the feedback can turn toxic, demotivating employees instead of helping them improve."

  • "If not resolved, minor disagreements can turn toxic and create a hostile environment in any relationship."

Synonyms

to turn to shit
vsto turn toxic
  • Offensive
9 9.9

To go very badly and fail completely

is more about being harmful and unpleasant than mere ruin or failure
to turn ugly
vsto turn toxic
8 5.1

To become violent or angry suddenly

becomes harmful and unpleasant rather than suddenly violent or aggressive

Antonyms

to improve
∞ 1.0

To make something better

to heal
481 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

How Hostile

to turn ugly
8 5.1
to turn toxic
6.8

Surface Forms

turn toxic infinitive
turned toxic past
turned toxic past participle
turning toxic present participle
turns toxic third person singular

Morphology

turn + toxic

The meaning 'to become extremely unpleasant, harmful, or negative' is directly derivable from combining 'turn' (change into) with 'toxic' (harmful/poisonous); the adjective's literal meaning is simply extended metaphorically to situations or relationships. This is a straightforward compositional pattern found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Turn toxic paints a simple image: a friendly place that slowly turns toxic, like a room filling with bad air or a discussion filling with angry, hurtful words. That's why it means 'become harmful or unpleasant'.