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:
"As life evolves and as a society we're exposed to more things to do, more ways to be engaged, there are more opportunities for unhealthy relationships develop."
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Dafydd encouraged people to seek help if its starts to become an unhealthy relationship to ensure you are "channelling your energy in the right way".
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The law allows authorities to target companies whose activities overseas cause or contribute to unhealthy haze levels in Singapore.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The city-state has also begun distributing N95 masks to eligible residents when pollution reaches very unhealthy levels.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The morning light coming through the window was gray and watery, giving her skin an unhealthy pallor.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
"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
Mohiuddin says he’s concerned that overtampering with the pig genome could lead to unhealthier pigs and lower-performing donor kidneys.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 11, 2023
But ShareAction said it also wanted Nestle to reduce the amount of unhealthier foods it sells.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2023
These findings tell us a lot about why people living in poorer areas tend to be unhealthier than people living in wealthy areas.
From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2022
You say, we are likely to grow weaklier, unhealthier.
From Sanitary and Social Lectures, etc by Charles Kingsley
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
Grande added, "There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally for me, the body you've been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body."
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks topped the list of national parks with the unhealthiest air in the country, followed by Joshua Tree National Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
Temporary price drops and multi-buy offers on the unhealthiest foods will also be banned in the proposals put forward by the Welsh government.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2023
On May 4th, we relieved the 6th Battalion in the right or "Route A Keep" sub-sector, undoubtedly the unhealthiest part of the whole Divisional front.
From The Sherwood Foresters in the Great War 1914 - 1919 History of the 1/8th Battalion by W. C. C. Weetman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
