Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

unwholesome

/ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.14 in modern English

Syllables: un-whole-some
IPA: /ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/

19

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not wholesome; unfavorable to health; unhealthful.

adj

Not sound; tainted; defective.

adj

Indicating unsound health; characteristic of or suggesting an unsound condition, physical or mental; repulsive; offensive.

Example Sentences

"unwholesome air, or food"
"Caliban: As wicked dewe, as ere my mother bruſh'd / With Rauens feather from vnwholeſome Fen / Drop on you both : A Southweſt blow on yee, / And bliſter you all ore."
"Alas! he mastered not his destiny: I have said before, his ashes are in yonder urn. A few unwholesome dews on a summer night were mightier than all his science."
"There was something indefinably unwholesome about him. Something lean and snakelike."

Etymology

From Middle English unholsom; equivalent to un- + wholesome.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: unholsom

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/
British English: /ˌənˈhəʊlsəm/

Inflected Forms

more unwholesome (comparative) most unwholesome (superlative)

Derived Forms

unwholesomely unwholesomeness

Antonyms

wholesome

Rhymes With

wholesome dolesome

Questions

How do you pronounce unwholesome?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/.
What does unwholesome mean?: Not wholesome; unfavorable to health; unhealthful.
Where does unwholesome come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce unwholesome

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “unwholesome”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌənˈhoʊlsəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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