unwholesome

adjective

ˌən-ˈhōl-səm How to pronounce unwholesome (audio)
Definition of unwholesomenext
1
as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body health inspectors shut down several food stands that were using tainted and unwholesome meat

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards despite having been raised in such unwholesome environments as a brothel and a traveling circus, singer Edith Piaf rose to international stardom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unwholesome Their jail is strange and unwholesome. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 Grievous bodily harm, nonconsensual drugging, murder, yes…still, thank god there’s nothing unwholesome here, like say a man in a dress. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in. — Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 As for the place, its veneer of comfortable tourism doesn’t hide the air of something unwholesome, especially when female guests start randomly throwing up. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
  1. poisonous
  2. corrupt
  3. unhealthful
  4. degraded
  5. toxic
  6. sick
  7. unhealthy
  8. noxious
Adjective
  • Now, a poisonous residue on the same crowbar has left him incapacitated.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This low-temperature, low-pressure hydrometallurgical method removes arsenic cleanly and operates without fossil fuels or poisonous gas emissions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of poisonous
Adjective
  • The most egregious perpetrators of fraud in the industry were corrupt doctors who were paid by patients to send insurance companies medical examination reports that omitted unfavorable findings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That unaffordability, Talarico argued at the nighttime rally in Texas that was packed with younger voters, is because billionaires and corrupt politicians have rigged the system.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • Warnings of unhealthful air quality remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that has engulfed the Northeast in haze for days.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026
  • The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of unhealthful
Adjective
  • Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Initially, Pike’s attorneys and several death penalty experts raised the possibility that the drugs may have been too old or degraded to work as intended.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of degraded
Adjective
  • All of this means a highly unpredictable world is the brain’s worst nightmare—and the uncertainty that results can quickly become toxic.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival of hunter-killer chemistry suggests this persistent toxic legacy might finally be coming to an end.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of toxic
Adjective
  • Grape expectations In 2020, macaques in an enclosure at the sanctuary started getting sick with an HIV-like virus called SRV.
    — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Or calling in sick from work even when the doctor cleared you to return in the new year.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of sick
Adjective
  • For example, people taking the drugs typically consume fewer unhealthy foods and less alcohol in favor of healthier products.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Schools in the state of Johor Bahru in Malaysia have also closed due to the air quality reaching unhealthy levels.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of unhealthy
Adjective
  • The history between these men is more noxious than your garden-variety case of paternal neglect — there’s been emotional and physical abuse.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Yakuza organized ultra-nationalist outfits like the National Essence Society, which aimed to crush such noxious foreign influences as Marxism.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of noxious

Browse Nearby Words

unwellness
unwholesome
unwieldy
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Cite this Entry

“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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