unhealthy

adjective

un·​healthy ˌən-ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
unhealthier; unhealthiest
1
: not conducive to health : not healthful
an unhealthy climate
unhealthy habits
unhealthy foods
2
: not in good health : sickly, diseased
unhealthy animals
3
a
: risky, unsound
an unhealthy economy
b
: of a harmful nature : bad, injurious
unhealthy levels of lead
c
: morally contaminated : corrupt, unwholesome
an unhealthy imagination
unhealthily adverb
unhealthiness noun

Examples of unhealthy in a Sentence

Her skin looks blotchy and unhealthy. Tests revealed an unhealthy level of lead in the water. Eating honey can be unhealthy for babies. He was stuck in an unhealthy relationship. She has an unhealthy interest in natural disasters.
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.
An unhealthy population can then lead to a decrease in a population’s ability to obtain and maintain employment. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025 This is how the agency defines what levels are considered unhealthy. Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 23 May 2025 Others may be dismissed as unhealthy while actually thriving physically. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 23 May 2025 Before the Clean Air Act was signed, California’s cities choked on air pollution so thick that residents wore gas masks outdoors to avoid choking smog and Los Angeles suffered through unhealthy levels of air pollution more than 200 days a year. Margo T. Oge, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhealthy

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhealthy was in 1595

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhealthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhealthy. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

unhealthy

adjective
un·​healthy ˌən-ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
1
: not conducive to good health : not healthful
an unhealthy climate
2
: not in good health : sickly, diseased
3
a
: risky, unsound
an unhealthy economy
b
unhealthily adverb
unhealthiness noun

Medical Definition

unhealthy

adjective
un·​healthy -ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
unhealthier; unhealthiest
1
: not conducive to health
an unhealthy climate
2
: not in good health : sickly
unhealthiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unhealthy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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