unhealthful

adjective

un·​health·​ful ˌən-ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce unhealthful (audio)
 also  -ˈheltth-
: harmful to health of body or mind : unhealthy sense 1
unhealthful levels of water pollution
an unhealthful diet
an unhealthful tendency to worry

Examples of unhealthful in a Sentence

the unhealthful level of smog in the city
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 According to the agency’s map, very unhealthy air levels were detected in the Chino Valley and San Bernardino areas, unhealthful levels in the eastern San Gabriel Valley as well as Pomona, Perris, Corona, Riverside areas and far northern Orange County. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024 The grades are based on the number of days a county’s air reaches unhealthful levels when measuring ozone and particle pollution. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for unhealthful 

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhealthful was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near unhealthful

Cite this Entry

“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhealthful. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

unhealthful

adjective
un·​health·​ful
ˌən-ˈhelth-fəl

Medical Definition

unhealthful

adjective
un·​health·​ful -ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce unhealthful (audio)
: detrimental to good health
unhealthful working conditions
unhealthfulness noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!