unsound

[uhn-sound]

adjective

unsounder, unsoundest 

1. not sound; unhealthy, diseased, or disordered, as the body or mind.

   Synonyms: unhealthy, ill, sick, infirm

2. decayed or impaired, as timber or foods; defective.

   Synonyms: unwholesome, rotten

3. not solid or firm, as foundations.

4. not well-founded or valid; fallacious.

   an unsound argument.

   Synonyms: faulty, erroneous, false

5. easily broken; light.

   unsound slumber.

6. not financially strong; unreliable.

   an unsound corporation.

unsound

/ ʌnˈsaʊnd /

adjective

1. diseased, weak, or unstable

   of unsound mind

2. unreliable or fallacious

   unsound advice

3. lacking solidity, strength, or firmness

   unsound foundations

4. of doubtful financial or commercial viability

   an unsound enterprise

5. (of fruit, timber, etc) not in an edible or usable condition

Other Word Forms

• unsoundly adverb
• unsoundness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsound¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; un- ¹, sound ²

Example Sentences

The best way to use this information, he thought, was to buy what appeared to be the sounder mortgage bonds and simultaneously sell the unsound ones.

Read more on Literature

The current directive is unconstitutional, discriminatory and scientifically unsound.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A charter school also can be denied renewal if it is fiscally unsound, but district staff concluded that, too, was not grounds for denial.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I joke to Shires that, as a man, most often the unsound advice I have received is to simply go look for a rebound.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The castle may have been demolished because it was structurally unsound or damaged in enemy attacks.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• defective 
• erroneous 
• false 
• faulty 
• flawed 
• fragile 
• illogical 
• inaccurate 
• incorrect 
• insane 
• insecure 
• shaky 
• unbalanced 
• unhealthy 
• unreliable 
• unsafe 
• unstable