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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unwholesome
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
But unlike Materialists, those movies—pictures like Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth or Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story—emerged in a time when Hollywood censors were keeping a close eye on movies’ ideology, determined to protect audiences from unwholesome influences.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 13 June 2025
By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome.
—Arthur Grahame, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2025
Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
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
In celebration of her return, everyone from comedian Melissa McCarthy, who’s playing the conniving nemesis of King Triton, to film historians, are taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary drag queen who inspired Ursula’s unwholesome ways: Divine.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 May 2023
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
This syndrome originally surfaced in 1926, when residents of Haverhill, Massachusetts drank unwholesome milk and suffered soaring temps, aching joints, and skin lesions ranging from flat, red spots to papules, pustules, and blisters—the same telltale features earlier linked to bites.
—Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2018
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
But unlike Materialists, those movies—pictures like Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth or Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story—emerged in a time when Hollywood censors were keeping a close eye on movies’ ideology, determined to protect audiences from unwholesome influences.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 13 June 2025
By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome.
—Arthur Grahame, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2025
Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
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
In celebration of her return, everyone from comedian Melissa McCarthy, who’s playing the conniving nemesis of King Triton, to film historians, are taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary drag queen who inspired Ursula’s unwholesome ways: Divine.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 May 2023
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
This syndrome originally surfaced in 1926, when residents of Haverhill, Massachusetts drank unwholesome milk and suffered soaring temps, aching joints, and skin lesions ranging from flat, red spots to papules, pustules, and blisters—the same telltale features earlier linked to bites.
—Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
And in Season 11, before the game even started, castaways hiked 11 miles through the Guatemalan jungle—a 24-hour trek in 100-degree heat that resulted in one collapse, one biceps tear, one vomiting spell, and one puncture wound from a poisonous tree barb.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
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This was always a question of what happens to this friend group when there’s a poisonous dynamic at the center?—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Shah's regime was corrupt and dysfunctional.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Trump has granted clemency to all manner of criminals from violent January 6 rioters to corrupt politicians and fraudulent businessmen.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 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
-
Trouvelot cuts into this degraded crater, indicating that the neighboring basin formed first.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Preserving tissue improves cloning success rates — a lesson Anderson learned the hard way after degraded samples contributed to her four-year wait.—
Ryan Brennan
March 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
From invasive species to blooms with toxic compounds, these are the six perennial flowers our gardening experts warn against.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
There’s good that can come from that — the engagement, the creativity — but some bad too, like when things get toxic.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As the harried solo parent of a sick child, Byrne lets the camera zoom in so close to her character’s insecurities that the audience breaks out in a cold sweat.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Threats to the environment and wildlife are still ever-present — a new highly pathogenic avian influenza has just hit the state, McGuire said, making birds and now elephant seals in Northern California sick.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Advertisement During a 2023 parole hearing, Rachel reflected on the events leading up to the murder, describing her relationship with Shelia Eddy as intense and unhealthy.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
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This is due to the amount of smoke from the fire, causing the air quality to become unhealthy, especially for those with respiratory conditions.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Police also arrested Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, charging him with reckless endangerment, assault and unlawful possession of noxious matter and accusing him of spraying pepper spray at counterprotesters.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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He was charged with reckless endangerment, assault, and unlawful possession of noxious matter, the police said on Sunday.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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