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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unwholesome Their jail is strange and unwholesome. —
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 Grievous bodily harm, nonconsensual drugging, murder, yes…still, thank god there’s nothing unwholesome here, like say a man in a dress. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 But unlike Materialists, those movies—pictures like Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth or Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story—emerged in a time when Hollywood censors were keeping a close eye on movies’ ideology, determined to protect audiences from unwholesome influences. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 13 June 2025 By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome. —Arthur Grahame, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2025 Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 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 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
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 Grievous bodily harm, nonconsensual drugging, murder, yes…still, thank god there’s nothing unwholesome here, like say a man in a dress. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 But unlike Materialists, those movies—pictures like Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth or Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story—emerged in a time when Hollywood censors were keeping a close eye on movies’ ideology, determined to protect audiences from unwholesome influences. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 13 June 2025 By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome. —Arthur Grahame, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2025 Like its unwholesome protagonist, the film — and the roving camera of Vladislav Opelyants, shooting in gorgeously high-contrast black-and-white — is forever on the move, creating an immersive aesthetic experience that amounts to a big pile of nothing. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
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Both fruit and tuber are poisonous.— Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
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When Floyd is found dead at a community pool surrounded by a poisonous cocktail and a vintage Playgirl magazine, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin unraveling the bizarre chain of events that led to his death.— Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As the operation grows across the city-wide black market, their ambitions clash with corrupt authorities, rival butchers and a shifting political landscape, pushing the family toward dangerous alliances and violent consequences.— John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026
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Then Joe Biden and his corrupt administration comes along and makes matters worse, allowing thousands of criminals to enter our country illegally, pillaging Americans while being pampered in luxury hotels on our dime.— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026
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The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.— Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Adjective
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The Golden State was hit with some of its worst droughts in 2021 and 2022, causing low water flows and degraded river conditions.— Chaewon Chung April 13, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
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Tree planting remained an important component, but the vision became broader, with more focus on cultivating arid, degraded land - like the mountains around Kourtimale or the Ferlo valley.— Julie Bourdin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.— Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
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Oil prices are once again surging in the wake of war in the Middle East, driving up the cost of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel and threatening a return to stagflation – the toxic mix of higher prices and slower growth that made economic life so miserable a half century ago.— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This animal is really, really very, very, very sick.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
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Cameron Collins was sick of Joe Biden.— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The weather conditions prompted the South Coast Air District to issue dust advisories for parts of the Coachella Valley, warning that strong winds could expose people to unhealthy dust levels.— Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
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Not that anyone is likely to form this kind of unhealthy attachment to Loop.— Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The practice has had horrible consequences for the Black, working class neighborhood where the turbines are located, whose residents are stuck breathing xAI’s noxious exhaust.— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
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The Mummy is Cronin’s third feature, a noxious and gnarly enough reimagining of Universal’s franchise of the same name that began in 1932.— Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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