unwholesome

[ uhn-hohl-suhm ]

/ ʌnˈhoʊl səm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unwholesome ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not wholesome; unhealthful; deleterious to health or physical or moral well-being: unwholesome food; unwholesome activities.

not sound in health; unhealthy, especially in appearance; suggestive of disease: an unwholesome pallor.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

unweighted, unwelcome, unwelcoming, unwell, unwept, unwholesome, unwieldy, unwilled, unwilling, unwincing, unwind

Origin of unwholesome

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at un-¹, wholesome

SYNONYMS FOR unwholesome

1 insalubrious, noxious, pernicious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unwholesome ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·whole·some·ly, adverbun·whole·some·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unwholesome

In an interview this week, Egeland strongly defended the propriety of delivering aid to unwholesome parts of northern Syria.
Why Humanitarians Talk to ISIS|Joshua Hersh|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That he succumbed to the unwholesome atmosphere cannot surprise us.
Gibbon|James Cotter Morison
There was about it all, all the time, a tainted and unwholesome atmosphere.
This Freedom|A. S. M. Hutchinson
This makes a sort of tea soup, at once bitter and unwholesome.
Camp and Trail|Stewart Edward White

The sorcerer is outlawed, and betakes himself to the secret performance of unholy rites in dark and unwholesome circumstances.
The Origin of Man and of his Superstitions|Carveth Read
It is wonderful how the touch of the kindly mother earth cleanses the soul from its unwholesome humors.
Glengarry Schooldays|Ralph Connor

British Dictionary definitions for unwholesome

unwholesome

/ (ʌnˈhəʊlsəm) /

adjective

detrimental to physical or mental healthan unwholesome climate

morally harmful or depravedunwholesome practices

indicative of illness, esp in appearance

(esp of food) of inferior quality

Derived Formsunwholesomely, adverbunwholesomeness, 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 unwholesome

unwholesome

adj.

c.1200, from un- (1) "not" + wholesome. Cf. Flemish onheylsaem, German unheilsam, Old Norse uheilsamr.