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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Seven-percent mortgages have been poisonous to homebuilders, and Horton was down 26% in the fourth quarter – in a rising market, at that.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Social platforms are poised to become even more poisonous to their own users as a handful of outrageously rich and powerful men grapple with their own insecurities around masculinity and free speech.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
WIRED,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But when blazes eat up urban areas and ravage buildings — such as the hardware store that burned, with its buckets full of paints and toxic chemicals — the smoke contains all sorts of other harmful particles, including the lead and asbestos that deputies were warned of in Wednesday’s message.—
Keri Blakinger,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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It is known to be toxic in high doses, and low-level exposure may increase the risk of certain cancers.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Just like physical clutter, unhealthy or draining relationships can sap your energy, create stress and block your personal growth.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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Walking will also help regulate appetite and curb the urge to grab those unhealthy snacks between meals.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 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 core Trump economic theme which shares so much DNA with old-school liberalism is buried underneath a noxious layer of hatred, lawlessness, violence, lying, and incoherence.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
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Their football has been blighted by individual mistakes but also characterised by a rotten mood, a noxious fog of self-pity and entitlement which has descended around them, game after game.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
The Athletic,
21 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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To see the sun so diminished, so pale and sickly in the midwinter sky, was unnerving.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2025
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The first one is the tiny avian corpse of Joey, the sickly baby crow Sunny adopted against Suzie’s wishes and tried to nurse back to health in episode five.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unhealthful
Cite this Entry
“Unhealthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhealthful. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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