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
  • For this reason, these poisonous mushrooms are more commonly confused with other types of edible mushrooms like chicken of the woods and chanterelles (more on these in a minute).
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Perhaps ducks had been used as bio-processors, feeding on toads and metabolizing their poisonous compounds so that humans could safely consume them.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisonous
Adjective
  • Turn on any cable news network, and the national political landscape can look like a toxic wasteland, defined by vitriol, outrage, even allegations of treason.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One of Howell's most valuable insights was recognizing that demanding leadership is not the same as toxic leadership.
    — Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of toxic
Adjective
  • In the provincial capital Pontianak, schools suspended in-person classes after air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels and health officials reported a rise in respiratory illnesses.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • So why do those of us who cover markets and those who participate in equities spend so much time scrutinizing the market’s vital signs, scanning for potentially unhealthy irregularities and metabolic disturbances?
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 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
  • So does an animal have enough brain real estate to understand that this thing is noxious?
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Aug. 2026
  • At the start of the meeting, Robert Pearman, vice chair of the agency’s hearing board, told the community members that no one — not even Lineage officials — disputes the severity of the noxious odors.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 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
  • Seeing her daughter in that state, babbling nonsense and barely able to stand, Letizia had goggled with the watery eyes of a sickly old lady.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The woman’s body, painted in blazing magenta, is wrapped around a man rendered in sickly olive green, her head disappearing into his chest.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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