unhealthy

adjective

un·​healthy ˌən-ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
unhealthier; unhealthiest
Synonyms of unhealthynext
1
: not conducive to health : not healthful
an unhealthy climate
unhealthy habits
unhealthy foods
2
: not in good health : sickly, diseased
unhealthy animals
3
a
: risky, unsound
an unhealthy economy
b
: of a harmful nature : bad, injurious
unhealthy eating habits
unhealthy levels of lead
c
: involving or causing feelings or thoughts that are not normal and healthy
an unhealthy relationship
has an unhealthy interest in natural disasters
unhealthily
ˌən-ˈhel-thə-lē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
adverb
unhealthiness
ˌən-ˈhel-thē-nəs How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
noun

Synonyms of unhealthy

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unhealthy in a Sentence

Her skin looks blotchy and unhealthy. Tests revealed an unhealthy level of lead in the water. Eating honey can be unhealthy for babies. He was stuck in an unhealthy relationship. She has an unhealthy interest in natural disasters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even the Barbie doll, while often derided for promoting an unhealthy body image for developing children, offered girls a glimpse of a different future than as a wife and mother, Kimmel argues. — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026 If stress itself is taken as evidence that a relationship is unhealthy, the normal difficulties of human interaction begin to look pathological. — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026 The company also gave $2 million to the National Council for Problem Gambling to combat unhealthy trading and addiction. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Ohio's fittest cities don't rank in the national top 25, but that doesn't mean the Buckeye State is unhealthy or lacking amenities. — Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unhealthy

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhealthy was in 1595

Rhymes for unhealthy

See All Rhymes for unhealthy

Browse Nearby Words

unhealthiness
unhealthy
unheard
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhealthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhealthy. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

unhealthy

adjective
un·​healthy ˌən-ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
1
: not conducive to good health : not healthful
an unhealthy climate
2
: not in good health : sickly, diseased
3
a
: risky, unsound
an unhealthy economy
b
: injurious, bad
unhealthily
-thə-lē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
adverb
unhealthiness
-thē-nəs How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
noun

Medical Definition

unhealthy

adjective
un·​healthy -ˈhel-thē How to pronounce unhealthy (audio)
unhealthier; unhealthiest
1
: not conducive to health
an unhealthy climate
2
: not in good health : sickly
unhealthiness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All