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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unwholesome
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
And in more than 250 episodes, little-sister character Dora Winifred Read was a blissfully unwholesome role model for little girls: smart, funny, and unlikable.
—Jenny Singer, Glamour, 23 Feb. 2022
The air around Brainerd registers an unwholesome shade of brown.
—Star Tribune, 30 July 2021
But the urge to remove monuments, rename buildings and expunge holiday appellations has become an unwholesome obsession on the political left.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 13 June 2021
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
And in more than 250 episodes, little-sister character Dora Winifred Read was a blissfully unwholesome role model for little girls: smart, funny, and unlikable.
—Jenny Singer, Glamour, 23 Feb. 2022
The air around Brainerd registers an unwholesome shade of brown.
—Star Tribune, 30 July 2021
But the urge to remove monuments, rename buildings and expunge holiday appellations has become an unwholesome obsession on the political left.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 13 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
The editorial didn’t advise how to overcome tribal hatred and instead focused on the poisonous news of today — disruption and disorder in town halls and political vandalism of Tesla cars.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The machine fed the Southern identity a poisonous diet for three decades.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ellen Pompeo, Bella Ramsey, Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Paul Feig & More Based on the New York Times best-selling comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys follows a group of vigilantes who aim to keep corrupt superheroes in check.—
Ryan Fleming,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2025
-
On top of that, Adams has sagging poll numbers, low fundraising dollars and the appearance of a corrupt bargain with President Trump.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 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
-
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
-
Apple spent years ignoring RCS, allowing iPhones to offer a degraded messaging experience with Android users.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Figure 4 shows an example of a daytime camera image in degraded visibility conditions, of a 1 m wide buoy at a range of 2 nautical miles (3.6 miles).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Netflix series delves into the pressures that young men face in a world of toxic masculinity and social media.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Communities are rebuilding after L.A. fires despite the lack of soil testing for toxic substances.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This has not been a good week for United, which was also accused of trying to shut off the ventilator of a sick one-year-old child.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
By many accounts, Planned Parenthood is an incurably sick beast whose time is nearing its end.—
Erik Baptist,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The study team then classified the food consumption by measuring how close the consumption pattern was to eight types of healthy diets and to the consumption of unhealthy ultraprocessed food.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Best and worst sources of protein The best protein sources are those that offer a balance of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber while being low in unhealthy fats, Routhenstein said.—
Perri Ormont Blumberg Fox News,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The show seems to be setting him up to do a complete 180 from the noxious finance bro he’s been for most of the season.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The fifth season, then, premiered in the noxious contrail of the Dobbs decision, which silenced those who believed a 1973 Supreme Court case could serve as a permanent finger in the political dike.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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