as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
the unhealthful level of smog in the city
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Recent Examples of unhealthful
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
With fire comes unhealthful smoke, which also threatens air quality for much of the U.S.
Wildfire smoke blankets much of the East
Many of the areas experiencing wildfire smoke will see moderate air quality for the next several days, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 21 June 2024
The map is color-coded to indicate whether the air is good, unhealthful or hazardous.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
In Los Angeles County, however, residents should avoid the water at certain coastal locations because the bacterial levels reached unhealthful levels when last tested, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health news release.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhealthful 
Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024
With fire comes unhealthful smoke, which also threatens air quality for much of the U.S.
Wildfire smoke blankets much of the East
Many of the areas experiencing wildfire smoke will see moderate air quality for the next several days, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 21 June 2024
The map is color-coded to indicate whether the air is good, unhealthful or hazardous.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
In Los Angeles County, however, residents should avoid the water at certain coastal locations because the bacterial levels reached unhealthful levels when last tested, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health news release.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhealthful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhealthful
Adjective
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Perhaps even more interestingly, the bark and leaves of the Sambucus nigra are considered poisonous; the berries themselves must be cooked before consuming.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2025
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There is poisonous and lame political commentary all around us, and then there’s the work of Joy Reid.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The lasting scars on the Gaza landscape are plain to see in the more than 360,000 structures − homes, schools, hospitals, mosques and other buildings − that lie in a vast expanse of toxic rubble.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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What worries me is that their relationship is pretty toxic.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In this way, the Garrett situation could already be construed as an unhealthy one for the Browns in the court of veteran quarterback opinion.—
Zac Jackson,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Another aspect of emotional eating is the process of specific cravings, usually including unhealthy, energy-dense foods.—
Allison Futterman,
Discover Magazine,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Less visibly, Manton operated a side business with a more unwholesome objective: cashing in on his status and power as a judge.—
Time,
Time,
25 July 2023
Adjective
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The past five years of noxious online discourse has been filling the air like smoke in a burning building, slowly at first, but now with terrifying velocity.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2025
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In 2018, the legislature passed a farm bill that sharply limits when neighboring property owners can file nuisance lawsuits against farms producing odors or other noxious conditions.—
Ames Alexander,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Two figures, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary who has blown hot and cold over whether children can go back to school, and Robert Jenrick, the local-government minister, who is entangled in a scandal with an insalubrious party donor, look particularly dismal.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
20 June 2020
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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
Adjective
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Giving form to breath and sickly in appearance, these sculptures capture the vulnerability of the DTES community.—
Mara Hoberman,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
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This at a time when a sluggish box office and a lack of employment in onscreen entertainment has already given the business a sickly Nosferatu-like pallor.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unhealthful
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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