unhealthful

adjective

un·​health·​ful ˌən-ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce unhealthful (audio)
 also  -ˈheltth-
: harmful to health of body or mind : unhealthy sense 1
unhealthful levels of water pollution
an unhealthful diet
an unhealthful tendency to worry

Examples of unhealthful in a Sentence

the unhealthful level of smog in the city
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 Health professionals encourage people to use lean cuts of meat because most of the fat in animal products is unhealthful saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease and cancer. Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024 With fire comes unhealthful smoke, which also threatens air quality for much of the U.S. Wildfire smoke blankets much of the East Many of the areas experiencing wildfire smoke will see moderate air quality for the next several days, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index. Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 21 June 2024 The unhealthful effects of autocracy remain robust even when accounting for economic differences and when excluding Venezuela and its collapsing health-care system. Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2020 See All Example Sentences for unhealthful

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhealthful was in 1580

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Cite this Entry

“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhealthful. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

unhealthful

adjective
un·​health·​ful
ˌən-ˈhelth-fəl

Medical Definition

unhealthful

adjective
un·​health·​ful -ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce unhealthful (audio)
: detrimental to good health
unhealthful working conditions
unhealthfulness noun
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