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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Recent Examples of unwholesome
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
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
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
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
There was something indefinably unwholesome about him.
—Ian McEwan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
And in Season 11, before the game even started, castaways hiked 11 miles through the Guatemalan jungle—a 24-hour trek in 100-degree heat that resulted in one collapse, one biceps tear, one vomiting spell, and one puncture wound from a poisonous tree barb.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
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This was always a question of what happens to this friend group when there’s a poisonous dynamic at the center?—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Do these reports offer evidence that the police and courts are corrupt?—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
Obtaining a suitable profile can be a daunting task, however, since the DNA samples needed to develop those profiles are often old and degraded, said Kendall Mills of Season of Justice, a nonprofit that fundraises for law enforcement agencies that need advanced DNA analysis but can’t afford it.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Last week, Andrew spent his first birthday as a commoner in circumstances as degraded as earlier celebrations had been grand.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Greenpeace members scaled a chemical plant's smokestack to protest toxic pollution in 1981, and occupied a North Sea oil platform in 1995.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Hypothesizing a possible explanation for the link between higher sugar substitute intake and accelerated cognitive decline, the researchers posited that sugar substitutes might produce toxic metabolites during digestion, which, in turn, have a damaging effect.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2014, the federal government also granted her permission to leave and re-enter the country to visit a sick family member in Mexico.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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In other words, routinely overloading on MSG (or feeling abnormally sick afterward) isn’t a viable concern for most people.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Consumer groups say wage advances can be riddled with fees and in some cases, similar to payday loans, can lead America’s most vulnerable workers into an unhealthy debt spiral.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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The problem can also lead to drainage issues and patchy, unhealthy grass.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Jennings was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, possession of a noxious matter and weapons possession and pleaded not guilty Tuesday at his arraignment.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
He is being charged with two counts of assault and possession of noxious material.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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