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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unwholesome
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwholesome
Adjective
-
Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives with poisonous mushrooms following a trial that has gripped the world.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 July 2025
-
The atmosphere in the Rockies’ clubhouse is not toxic, unlike Chicago’s, which reportedly was poisonous for much of last season.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Rachel and Ray need to go on the run after Ray’s investigation into a corrupt pharmaceutical executive puts their live in peril.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
And then reality crashes down around them in a series of scenes that expose the cruel hypocrisy of Iran’s corrupt system (which purports to uphold morality, but allows men in positions of authority to indulge themselves in egregious ways).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Shot on low-grade digital cameras that made every image look even more apocalyptic and degraded, the film remains utterly terrifying, boasting excellent supporting turns from Naomie Harris and Brendan Gleeson as Jim’s fellow survivors.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
-
The good news is that General Mills is more than 60% of the way to achieving its goal of advancing regenerative agriculture—farming practices that regenerate degraded soil—on a million acres of land by 2030.—
Dave Levinthal,
Fortune,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Setting the right tone and removing toxic employees becomes mission-critical to managing human employees in an age of AI.—
Jennifer C. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
The full moon in Libra on the 12th illuminates your relationships, highlighting where you may be stuck in codependent or toxic dynamics.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Alaska, Michigan, and Maine are among the latest states with paid sick or family leave laws on the books.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
-
Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
What to Know On Friday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was expected to reach the purple category (between 201 and 300), or the very unhealthy level.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Here’s what she’s learned about how to spot bad bosses and avoid unhealthy workplaces.—
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Marian Flanders, 79, wondered about the potentially noxious chemicals that spread as a result of the explosion into crops and air.—
Ishani Desai
July 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 July 2025
-
In the past couple of years, the volume of sewage flows, laced with contaminated stormwater, noxious chemicals and trash, has been the highest in the last quarter-century, worsening conditions for those living and working nearby.—
Tammy Murga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwholesome. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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