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
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
In Los Angeles County, however, residents should avoid the water at certain coastal locations because the bacterial levels reached unhealthful levels when last tested, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health news release.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for unhealthful
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
In Los Angeles County, however, residents should avoid the water at certain coastal locations because the bacterial levels reached unhealthful levels when last tested, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health news release.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for unhealthful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhealthful
Adjective
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The last time fans saw her as Britt, she was attacked by a serial killer and died from his poisonous hook.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
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Spiders More than 900 species of spiders call Texas home, including two poisonous types — the black widow and brown recluse.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Law enforcement warned that burning lithium-ion batteries used in the cars release toxic gases, posing possible health risks.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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The titular metaphor refers to a healing herb that becomes toxic in the wrong dosage, much as love requires the right proportions to find harmony.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day because widespread ozone and or particulate levels are expected to be at or above the unhealthy for sensitive groups category.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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Conditions in northern Michigan also reflected many unhealthy zones.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome.—
Arthur Grahame,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Decaying sargassum poses health risks, emits noxious gases, and smothers marine habitats and tourist beaches alike, underscoring a cascading set of environmental and economic challenges well beyond the Caribbean islands.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
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That combination of higher prices, uncertainty and pessimism can be outright noxious as pullbacks in consumer and business spending can have cascading negative effects on the labor market and the broader economy.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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As a sickly boy raised by two women, young Darin was smothered with affection.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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Lambrusco became synonymous with that sickly tipple—which bore no resemblance to the refreshingly dry and crisp Lambrusco guzzled by Italians.—
Simon Willis,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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