unhealthful

adjective

ˌən-ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce unhealthful (audio)
Definition of unhealthfulnext
as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body the unhealthful level of smog in the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of unhealthful Warnings of unhealthful air quality remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that has engulfed the Northeast in haze for days. — Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026 The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things. — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026 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
  1. poisonous
  2. toxic
  3. unhealthy
  4. unwholesome
  5. noxious
  6. insalubrious
  7. sickly
Adjective
  • Lydia Kiesling’s Mobility attempts something at once more traditional and more ambitious, exploring how a young woman tries to disentangle herself from the oil industry’s poisonous tendrils.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • Wildfire smoke contains noxious or poisonous gases and particulate matter, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, affecting people with respiratory problems, says the Environmental Protection Agency.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of poisonous
Adjective
  • As toxic levels of gas have been detected, teams wearing oxygen gear raced to find survivors on Tuesday, the outlet reported.
    — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
  • Research shows toxic culture is the leading cause of attrition, far surpassing compensation.
    — Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of toxic
Adjective
  • Conditions for the beginning of the work week are forecast at a minimum to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, which include people with heart or lung disease, older adults, teens and children.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • The alert signals that the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and those with heart or lung disease.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 20 July 2026
Definition of unhealthy
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
Definition of unwholesome
Adjective
  • Firefighting teams were being reinforced with the addition of hundreds of soldiers and breathing masks to filter out potentially noxious smoke particles were being rushed to those exposed, Lecornu said.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • But wildfires have been getting bigger and more frequent, and sending off plumes of air pollution that come and go in noxious episodes.
    — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Definition of noxious
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of insalubrious
Adjective
  • Work took place in the spring and early summer and the pool was refilled in June, but an algae bloom returned just days later, turning the pool a sickly green color.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • In the heyday of her career, her choppy hair, flat chest, sickly pallor and large darting eyes were a manic pixie dream.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Definition of sickly

Browse Nearby Words

unharmed
unhealthful
unhealthiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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