unhealthy

[uhn-hel-thee]

adjective, un·health·i·er, un·health·i·est.

not in a state of good or normal health; in an unsound, weak, or morbid condition.
symptomatic of or resulting from bad health: an unhealthy pallor.
not conducive to good health; unhealthful: Night air was formerly considered unhealthy.

morally bad, harmful, or contaminating: unhealthy examples for the young.
dangerous; risky: Asking questions in this neighborhood can be unhealthy.

Origin of unhealthy

First recorded in 1585–95; un-¹ + healthy

Related formsun·health·i·ly, adverbun·health·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for unhealthy

1. sickly. 3. unhygienic, deleterious.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for unhealthily

Contemporary Examples of unhealthily

Wetland wildlife would get unhealthily wet, damaging unique ecosystems.
California Sinkin’: What Rising Sea Levels Will Mean for the Golden State
Alex Klein
June 30, 2012

Historical Examples of unhealthily

They feed pretty largely but unhealthily, and eat pieces at lunch-time.
New Worlds For Old
Herbert George Wells
Or it drives him unhealthily outward, quickening the wish for mere stimulants and excitements of mind and interest.
To My Younger Brethren
Handley C. G. Moule
Long dwelling upon its power made them unduly and unhealthily conscious of its presence.
Religion & Sex
Chapman Cohen
The poor of the Western prairies lie almost as unhealthily close together as do the poor of the city tenements.
Other Main-Travelled Roads
Hamlin Garland
Next to him sat Batley, looking thoughtful; and Crestwick sat opposite Lisle, eager and unhealthily flushed.
The Long Portage
Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for unhealthily

unhealthy

adjective -healthier or -healthiest

characterized by ill-health; sick; unwell
characteristic of, conducive to, or resulting from ill-healthan unhealthy complexion; an unhealthy atmosphere
morbid or unwholesome
informal dangerous; risky

Derived Formsunhealthily, adverbunhealthiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unhealthily

unhealthy

adj.

1590s, "injurious to health," from un- (1) "not" + healthy. Earlier unhealthsome (1540s), unhealthful (1570s). Of persons, "sickly," it is attested from 1610s. Related: Unhealthily.