1
as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
health inspectors shut down several food stands that were using tainted and unwholesome meat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
despite having been raised in such unwholesome environments as a brothel and a traveling circus, singer Edith Piaf rose to international stardom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 unwholesome
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
The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
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
Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
As for the place, its veneer of comfortable tourism doesn’t hide the air of something unwholesome, especially when female guests start randomly throwing up.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024
In celebration of her return, everyone from comedian Melissa McCarthy, who’s playing the conniving nemesis of King Triton, to film historians, are taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary drag queen who inspired Ursula’s unwholesome ways: Divine.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 May 2023
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
The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
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
Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
As for the place, its veneer of comfortable tourism doesn’t hide the air of something unwholesome, especially when female guests start randomly throwing up.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024
In celebration of her return, everyone from comedian Melissa McCarthy, who’s playing the conniving nemesis of King Triton, to film historians, are taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary drag queen who inspired Ursula’s unwholesome ways: Divine.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
The plant, which is non-native and is for ornamental purposes, is poisonous to horses.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Not only are the leaves poisonous to humans and pets, but the vine itself is invasive and can spread disease to trees.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
There's a corrupt deal happening at the biggest levels among the billionaire class to increase their wealth at the expense of many people are suffering greatly right now.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
-
The police are a corrupt institution.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Onshore winds are pushing smoke from the Sandy fire into Los Angeles County, where neighborhoods from the San Fernando Valley to Arcadia could face unhealthful air for sensitive groups.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Even when degraded, enzymes have stable backbones that might be capable of catalyzing reactions, said Sudha Rajamani, an astrobiologist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune who wasn’t involved in the study.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
-
According to the company, QTT enables highly secure and resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, helping maintain accurate timing and synchronization even when traditional GPS and radio-frequency signals are unavailable, degraded, or intentionally jammed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Shocked to learn about Waukegan’s toxic legacy, Mendez said she felt compelled to raise awareness about her community’s environmental burdens.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla drove into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo, and that Flanagan was an unintended victim who happened to be in the car.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
If healthier people drop out of the risk pool, fewer people subsidize the people who get sick, Gidwani said.—
Andrew Jones,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Nara Organics issued the recall of all lots of Nara Organics Whole Milk Infant Formula after, according to the company recall notice, the FDA and CDC told the company about babies sick with infant botulism in California, Pennsylvania and Washington.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
This can contribute to eating disorders and all sorts of other unhealthy behaviors such as trying to consume too much protein in order to build more muscle.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Removing unhealthy foliage helps prevent disease and pest problems.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
The board said the crude oil spill caught little media attention, most likely because the media was consumed by a threat of explosion of noxious gas leaking from a chemical tank at the GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove that resulted in an evacuation of 50,000 people.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
The company is challenging the county’s decision to award a contract to Oransi LLC for up to 30,000 portable air purifiers intended for residents affected by noxious gases emanating from the Tijuana River.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
