as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
the unhealthful level of smog in the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
The grades are based on the number of days a county’s air reaches unhealthful levels when measuring ozone and particle pollution.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024
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 map is color-coded to indicate whether the air is good, unhealthful or hazardous.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for unhealthful
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024
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 map is color-coded to indicate whether the air is good, unhealthful or hazardous.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for unhealthful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhealthful
Adjective
-
Almost every state has a variety of snake species, both poisonous and nonvenomous.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
This Kidde portable carbon monoxide detector uses batteries and is compact enough to slip into your carry-on, giving you peace of mind that your hotel room or Airbnb is free of poisonous levels of carbon monoxide.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Set in Bogotá, the film explores masculinity through the story of Carlos, a sensitive teen confronting toxic gender norms in a macho environment.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
15 July 2025
-
This felt therapeutic, an antidote to the toxic diet of overly personal information that we are fed daily by our phones.—
Guy Trebay,
Travel + Leisure,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Warm, sunny weather optimizes the conditions for this sort of reaction, meaning unhealthy ozone levels are often seen in the summer.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
During the pandemic, Coleman realized his dependency on beer became unhealthy.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
State law specifically names these three plants as noxious weeds: Municipalities can add to this list based on recommendations from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' invasive species list.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
25 July 2025
-
While seven out of 10 Indians are exposed to noxious air, pregnant women and their unborn children are among the most impacted.—
Anuradha Varanasi,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
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,
The Economist,
20 June 2020
-
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
Adjective
-
Consider his painting Inheritance (1897-99), which depicts a coughing mother holding a sickly newborn.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 July 2025
-
Jessica leaves her apartment and tells him to get his stuff out by the end of the day, during which her sickly dog dies.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share