Unhealthy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˌən-ˈhel-thē/ un·healthy

Meaning & Definition of Unhealthy

Unhealthy (adjective)

  1. not conducive to health, not healthful
  2. not in good health, sickly, diseased
  3. risky, unsound

Unhealthy (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. bad for the well-being of the body

    "we knew that the junk food at the carnival was unhealthy, but it tasted so good!"

    similar: insalubrious, noisome, noxious, sickly, unhealthful, unwholesome
    related: germy, insanitary, unhygienic, unsanitary, nonnutritious, poisonous, toxic, fatal, lethal, mortal
    opposite: healthful, healthy
    near: hygienic, sanitary, nutritious

  2. involving potential loss or injury

    "criticism of the military dictatorship has proved to be unhealthy for several of that nation's journalists"

    similar: dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, parlous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, unsafe, venturesome
    related: dicey, insecure, precarious, treacherous, uncertain, ultrahazardous, chance, haphazard, random, distressing, sickening, unpleasant, ugly, wicked, adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, inimical, injurious, malignant, nasty, noxious, pernicious, pestilent, deadly, deathly, destructive, dire, fatal, fateful, fell, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous
    opposite: harmless, innocent, innocuous, nonhazardous, nonthreatening, safe, unthreatening
    near: advantageous, beneficial, good, ultrasafe

  3. temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body

    "she's been unhealthy for almost a week now"

    similar: ailing, bad, down, ill, indisposed, peaked, peaky, poorly, punk, run-down, sick, sickened, unsound, unwell, out of sorts, under the weather
    related: symptomatic, cruddy, lousy, seedy, sickish, nauseated, nauseous, qualmish, queasy, squeamish, airsick, carsick, seasick, dizzy, light-headed, shaky, woozy, achy, feverish, diseased, disordered, decrepit, feeble, fragile, frail, infirm, invalid, sickly, weak, weakly, afflicted, troubled, debilitated, disabled, incapacitated, hypochondriac, hypochondriacal
    opposite: hale, healthful, healthy, sound, well, whole, wholesome
    near: able-bodied, conditioned, fit, well-conditioned, cured, better, convalescing, improved, mending, recovering, recuperating, rehabilitated, hardy, hearty, lusty, robust, rugged, stalwart, strong, tough, blooming, bouncing, chipper, flourishing, flush, thriving

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Unhealthy

The most common words with a similar meaning to Unhealthy:

insalubrious, noisome, noxious, sickly, unhealthful, unwholesome, dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, parlous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, unsafe, venturesome, ailing, bad, down, ill, indisposed, peaked, peaky, poorly, punk, run-down, sick, sickened, unsound, unwell, out of sorts, under the weather

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Unhealthy

Words with the opposite meaning of Unhealthy:

healthful, healthy, harmless, innocent, innocuous, nonhazardous, nonthreatening, safe, unthreatening, hale, sound, well, whole, wholesome

Related Words for Unhealthy

germy, insanitary, unhygienic, unsanitary, nonnutritious, poisonous, toxic, fatal, lethal, mortal, dicey, insecure, precarious, treacherous, uncertain, ultrahazardous, chance, haphazard, random, distressing, sickening, unpleasant, ugly, wicked, adverse, baleful, baneful, deleterious, detrimental, evil

Near Antonyms of Unhealthy

hygienic, sanitary, nutritious, advantageous, beneficial, good, ultrasafe, able-bodied, conditioned, fit, well-conditioned, cured, better, convalescing, improved, mending, recovering, recuperating, rehabilitated, hardy, hearty, lusty, robust, rugged, stalwart, strong, tough, blooming, bouncing, chipper

Word Forms of Unhealthy

Inflections: unhealthier, unhealthiest

Derived words: unhealthily (adverb), unhealthiness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Unhealthy

First known use: 1595

Frequently Asked Questions about Unhealthy

What does "Unhealthy" mean?

"Unhealthy" means not conducive to health, not healthful. As an adjective, it is defined as: not conducive to health, not healthful. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Unhealthy"?

Other words for "Unhealthy" include insalubrious, noisome, noxious, sickly, unhealthful, unwholesome, dangerous and grave. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Unhealthy" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Unhealthy"?

There are 117 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Unhealthy". Common alternatives include insalubrious, noisome, noxious, sickly, unhealthful, unwholesome, dangerous, grave, grievous and hazardous.

What is the opposite of "Unhealthy"?

Antonyms of "Unhealthy" include healthful, healthy, harmless, innocent, innocuous, nonhazardous, nonthreatening and safe. Near antonyms include hygienic, sanitary, nutritious and advantageous.

How do you use "Unhealthy" in a sentence?

Examples of "Unhealthy" in a sentence: "we knew that the junk food at the carnival was unhealthy, but it tasted so good!"; "criticism of the military dictatorship has proved to be unhealthy for several of that nation's journalists"; "she's been unhealthy for almost a week now".

Is "Unhealthy" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Unhealthy" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Unhealthy"?

"Unhealthy" is pronounced /ˌən-ˈhel-thē/ and divided into syllables as un·healthy.

What is the origin of the word "Unhealthy"?

First known use: 1595.