ˈkan(t)s(ə)rəs, -ˈaa-, -ˈai- adjective
Etymology: cancer + -ous
1. : affected with cancer
a cancerous lung
a leprous or cancerous man — J.G.Frazer
2. : of or relating to cancer : constituting a cancer
a cancerous indication
a cancerous tumor
3. : like a cancer
the months of spreading cancerous distrust — Jean Stafford
if we consider only the sordid aspects of urban life the American city of the period seems a cancerous growth — A.M.Schlesinger b. 1888
• can·cer·ous·ly adverb