as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
after inhaling the insalubrious city smog for a month, I was happy to once again breathe in the fresh air of the country
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Recent Examples of insalubrious
The refuse rising in insalubrious piles, some taller than the pedestrians trying to avoid them, is a smelly, visceral symbol of popular outrage at the government’s plan.
—
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023
Many of the area's most insalubrious haunts are long gone, and in their place mostly restaurants, which come and go.
—Tom Page, CNN, 30 Jan. 2023
Exercise enjoys a health halo, justifying, for some of us, insalubrious habits.
—Gretchen Reynolds, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Jan. 2023
On the site of an important 19th-century water mill, in a somewhat insalubrious part of town, is a modest looking Mosque with a beautiful new artwork.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
Two figures, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary who has blown hot and cold over whether children can go back to school, and Robert Jenrick, the local-government minister, who is entangled in a scandal with an insalubrious party donor, look particularly dismal.
—The Economist, 20 June 2020
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023
Many of the area's most insalubrious haunts are long gone, and in their place mostly restaurants, which come and go.
—Tom Page, CNN, 30 Jan. 2023
Exercise enjoys a health halo, justifying, for some of us, insalubrious habits.
—Gretchen Reynolds, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Jan. 2023
On the site of an important 19th-century water mill, in a somewhat insalubrious part of town, is a modest looking Mosque with a beautiful new artwork.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
Two figures, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary who has blown hot and cold over whether children can go back to school, and Robert Jenrick, the local-government minister, who is entangled in a scandal with an insalubrious party donor, look particularly dismal.
—The Economist, 20 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insalubrious
Adjective
-
The whisky was slightly poisonous.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Marsha purchased the ingredients for this poisonous beverage at a local store.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Oil prices are once again surging in the wake of war in the Middle East, driving up the cost of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel and threatening a return to stagflation – the toxic mix of higher prices and slower growth that made economic life so miserable a half century ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
Wearing nothing but gas masks, Hal and Lois sneak inside the noxious home to do the deed in privacy from their kids.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Dry fields are also vulnerable to noxious weeds like leafy spurge and toadflax, which are toxic to cattle and unpalatable to native ungulates like deer and pronghorn antelope.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Given the choice of pulling out of half of their in-game buys during the sleepier quarters, marketers may choose to exercise those options if a recession is in full, sickly bloom.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
With such a sheer volume of work coming out, the anime market can get crowded, and its easy for these works to bleed together into a vague blob of gag comedies, action-adventure shows, and sickly-sweet romances.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The effects of this unhealthy information diet upon Tillman’s critical-thinking skills leap off every page.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Other animals were rescued from cruel or unhealthy situations.—
Amanda Rosa
April 9,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The company issued the recall because the shrimp may have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with cesium-137 (Cs-137).—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Employees were observed to only sanitize their gloved hands after touching insanitary surfaces and then resumed touching RTE food and various food contact surfaces.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
12 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insalubrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insalubrious. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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