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
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.
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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
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But the film’s poisonous reviews and disastrous box office all but torpedoed her Oscar hopes this year, and the film was shut out in Monday’s Globe nominations.Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
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But left unchecked, fear of failure becomes poisonous.Mark Kane, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Not Arresting Trump | Opinion Instead of fostering violence or corrupt attempts at compromising the certification of election results, the post-election antics of the Republican party in North Carolina were quite peaceful.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
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The Emmy winner and Oscar nominee was among three dozen wealthy parents across the country who paid a corrupt college consultant tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their children fraudulently admitted to top schools by inflating test scores or fabricating athletic accomplishments.Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The novel stirred public outrage over the degraded state of the cathedral.Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024
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Bon first garnered attention with Not a Cornfield, a 2005-2006 work that took a 32-acre plot of land in downtown LA, and grew a full seasonal crop of corn, as a way to take a degraded unproductive piece of land and demonstrate its fecundity and potential for transformation.Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Russia has denied using any chemical weapons in Ukraine and, in turn, has accused Kyiv of using toxic agents in combat. Kirillov, who took his current job in 2017, was one of the most high-profile figures to level those accusations.Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Dec. 2024
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One thoughtful response might turn a toxic detractor into a powerful promoter.Jodie Cook, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But then Carey got sick with the flu, and was forced to cancel the first show of her 2024 Christmas Time tour.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024
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By Weiland’s estimates, up to 300,000 people in the U.S. are currently getting sick with COVID-19 each day, compared to around 1 million cases per day around this time in recent years.Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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More than half of American adults struggle with chronic health conditions — like type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease — for which unhealthy diets are a risk factor, according to the introduction to the new Scientific Report from the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC).Ivana Saric, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024
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And that again is an unhealthy and unsustainable way to view myself.Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Neighbors have complained about noxious jet fuels, saying their their children can no longer play outside because of unchecked flight growth and lack of measures to protect the community.Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
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Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and flooring off-gas noxious fumes too.Lisa Wood Shapiro, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unwholesome
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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