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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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.
—
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
-
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
-
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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Many such stories also contain the suggestion, sometimes explicit, that the old civilization was unbearably corrupt and that its violent collapse was overdue.—
Jennifer Szalai,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Hunter Biden had been the point man in the decades-long Biden family business of selling access to his father and his political influence to agents of corrupt and anti-American foreign regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.—
The Editors,
National Review,
21 Jan. 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
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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
Adjective
-
But there is a kind of romance to that degraded VHS.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
-
These pollutants then build up in a confined area, resulting in degraded air quality, which may affect people with and other health concerns.—
Jess Thomson,
Newsweek,
2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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These small but hazardous items, along with other forms of plastic, can contain harmful chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which can have toxic effects on marine life.—
Melissa Cristina Marquez,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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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
Adjective
-
In a society where adults often come to work sick, teaching teens to take care of themselves is important.—
Maya Dollarhide,
Parents,
17 Jan. 2025
-
What if the pitcher ran a pizza place on the ground floor, but the pizza made everybody sick?—
Tyler Kepner,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
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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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
Thesaurus Entries Near unwholesome
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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