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
-
Having been burned badly by his phantom surplus in 2022, Newsom is obviously aware that a repeat would be politically poisonous.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Having been burned badly by his phantom surplus in 2022, Newsom is obviously aware that a repeat would be politically poisonous.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
They’re combined with a non-toxic, hypoallergenic down alternative filling, creating a plush and luxurious sleeping experience that’s designed for back, side, and stomach sleepers.—
Megan Schaltegger,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Many hominids went extinct during this period, and being able to consume alcohol without adverse and/or toxic effects would have conferred a survival advantage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Julie Clark, a community education specialist for UCANR, recalled getting a call from a local forester who spotted an unhealthy-looking coast live oak while driving in Simi Hills’ Box Canyon.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Across studies, these health markers returned to unhealthy baseline levels an average of a year and a half after treatment ended.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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
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By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome.—
Arthur Grahame,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Then she’s saddled with the noxious task of trying to convince Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to kill herself for the greater good, only to reverse course at the last second and save her?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
1 Jan. 2026
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Shrouded in mist and prone to spewing noxious green goop over windows, their true form remains a mystery throughout.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
5 Dec. 2025
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
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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
-
The 89-minute running time doesn’t allow much exposition, and in fact the opening sequence shows a veterinarian coming to treat a sickly Ben before having his face viciously torn off.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
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This usually occurs when a dead limb or a sickly tree falls.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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