as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
the unhealthful level of smog in the city
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Recent Examples of unhealthful
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhealthful
Adjective
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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
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Greenpeace members scaled a chemical plant's smokestack to protest toxic pollution in 1981, and occupied a North Sea oil platform in 1995.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Hypothesizing a possible explanation for the link between higher sugar substitute intake and accelerated cognitive decline, the researchers posited that sugar substitutes might produce toxic metabolites during digestion, which, in turn, have a damaging effect.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Consumer groups say wage advances can be riddled with fees and in some cases, similar to payday loans, can lead America’s most vulnerable workers into an unhealthy debt spiral.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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The problem can also lead to drainage issues and patchy, unhealthy grass.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The most noxious PragerU videos often involve slavery.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
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The striking red foliage of Japanese bloodgrass (Imperata cylindrica) has lured thousands of gardeners into planting this noxious grassy groundcover.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Planting too early in the season when the soil is cool might result in a sickly plant all season long or seeds that won't germinate.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Cupid and Psyche 85, in its sickly plastic way, is a profoundly uplifting record.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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