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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unwholesome
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
Less visibly, Manton operated a side business with a more unwholesome objective: cashing in on his status and power as a judge.
—Time, 25 July 2023
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
This syndrome originally surfaced in 1926, when residents of Haverhill, Massachusetts drank unwholesome milk and suffered soaring temps, aching joints, and skin lesions ranging from flat, red spots to papules, pustules, and blisters—the same telltale features earlier linked to bites.
—Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2018
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
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
Less visibly, Manton operated a side business with a more unwholesome objective: cashing in on his status and power as a judge.
—Time, 25 July 2023
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
This syndrome originally surfaced in 1926, when residents of Haverhill, Massachusetts drank unwholesome milk and suffered soaring temps, aching joints, and skin lesions ranging from flat, red spots to papules, pustules, and blisters—the same telltale features earlier linked to bites.
—Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2018
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
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
-
On July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson, 50, allegedly served her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms, which resulted in their deaths.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look at the film, which follows Ahmed's Ash, an off-the-grid fixer who brokers deals between whistleblowers and corrupt corporations through a message relay service that maintains anonymity.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
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Sara’s friend from her secret agent days, Teresa, is also taking matters into her own hands after also losing a loved one to a corrupt system.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
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However, communities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were still experiencing unhealthful air quality, according to the air district.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
These systems use signals that are orders of magnitude stronger than satellite signals and can serve as a resilient backup when GPS is degraded or unavailable.—
Mariam Sorond,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
-
Additionally, about 6,600 acres of degraded coastal land will be improved to provide a third buffer against coastal storms and erosion processes.—
Suzanne Wright,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
There is another current salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers that has already left 45 people sick and 16 hospitalized across 18 states.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
-
Some of the samples tested positive for Salmonella and additional testing found that the samples were closely related to the Salmonella found in sick people.—
Amber Brenza,
Health,
8 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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Air quality has reached unhealthy conditions in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
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
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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