unhealthy
Americanadjective
-
not in a state of good or normal health; in an unsound, weak, or morbid condition.
- Synonyms:
- sickly
-
symptomatic of or resulting from bad health.
an unhealthy pallor.
-
not conducive to good health; unhealthful.
Night air was formerly considered unhealthy.
- Synonyms:
- deleterious, unhygienic
-
morally bad, harmful, or contaminating.
unhealthy examples for the young.
-
dangerous; risky.
Asking questions in this neighborhood can be unhealthy.
adjective
-
characterized by ill-health; sick; unwell
-
characteristic of, conducive to, or resulting from ill-health
an unhealthy complexion
an unhealthy atmosphere
-
morbid or unwholesome
-
informal dangerous; risky
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unhealthy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Said Maung, "All of these effects come together to create this perfect environment for the tissue to be really unhealthy and eventually disappear."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Staying, she said, is not just a nuisance but also unhealthy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But if your kids start to avoid certain foods and limit how much they eat in an unhealthy way, it's worth seeking medical advice, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the US capital, the department of homeland security and emergency management said air quality was "unhealthy for at-risk groups" including children and the elderly, urging people to limit time outdoors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
His unhealthy pallor suggests his coming Crohn’s disease.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"This government will not look away as children get unhealthier," Streeting said.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
The only sign that L.A.’s waters could be unhealthier than other coastal stretches this year was an unusually high spike of Pseudo-nitzschia in March at the Santa Monica Pier, Anderson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2025
If a significant proportion of shoppers believe that healthy products taste bad, the putting a healthiness-grade on the package will likely lead to them choosing unhealthier options.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2024
"In our study, we classified avocados as a vegetable and did see an increase in vegetable consumption attributed to the avocado intake, but also participants used the avocados to replace some unhealthier options."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2024
Ireland, it is seen, can still spare 100,000 or 150,000 males for the British armed forces and be in no unhealthier sex plight than Scotland or England is in.
From The Crime Against Europe A Possible Outcome of the War of 1914 by Casement, Roger
Several factors have led to this remarkable change, which has helped turn the U.S. into one of the unhealthiest countries among the world’s advanced economies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
The Bronx, New York City's poorest borough, is ranked as the unhealthiest of New York's 62 counties.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2024
"It's ironic because I was my thinnest when I was my unhealthiest," they said.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2022
Both promoted self-care as a critical component of their platforms, the notion being that an activist community is only as healthy as its unhealthiest member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2022
For lack of energetic men in authority to deal with them, the border robbers plundered while the troops remained cooped up within the unhealthiest station on the list.
From Rung Ho! by Mundy, Talbot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
