What does unwholesomeness mean?
Unwholesomeness is the noun form of unwholesome and denotes a condition or quality considered unhealthy, harmful, morally objectionable, or socially corrupting. Its most characteristic use is moral or cultural: a person may describe propaganda, institutions, entertainment, or social practices as exhibiting unwholesomeness. In this sense, the word suggests more than mere lack of taste or disagreeableness; it implies damage to values, wellbeing, or the fabric of society. It can also have a literal physical meaning, as when inspectors discuss the unwholesomeness of food or living conditions. The word is relatively uncommon and more formal than expressions such as badness, nastiness, or unsavoriness. Unwholesomeness is especially useful when an author wishes to make an emphatic moral judgment while retaining a more abstract, institutional, or public-facing tone.
nounThe quality or condition of being unwholesome, especially of something harmful to health or wellbeing, or morally objectionable and socially corrupting.
- The quality of being morally objectionable, corrupting, or socially unhealthy.
- The condition of being harmful or unfit for health and wellbeing.
"The novel explores the unwholesomeness of a society that prizes wealth over human dignity."
"Critics argued that the rhetoric of the campaign carried an air of unwholesomeness that threatened public trust."
"Inspectors expressed concern about the unwholesomeness of food prepared in the poorly regulated kitchen."
Usually uncountable and therefore has no regular plural in ordinary usage.
"The author condemns the unwholesomeness of the ideology promoted by the regime."
Add “un-” to wholesome and “-ness” to turn a judgment about health into a forceful accusation of moral or social corruption.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unwholesomeness come from?
Unwholesomeness was formed in English by adding the noun-forming suffix -ness to the adjective unwholesome. Unwholesome combines un-, ultimately from Latin in-, with wholesome, an English formation based on whole and the suffix -some, meaning “characterized by.” The family therefore developed through the addition of a negating prefix and then a suffix naming the resulting state or quality.
Related word forms
How unwholesomeness is actually used
Usually formal and abstract. It is most often used in moral, social, or psychological contexts, where it suggests something deeply objectionable or corrosive; it can also refer literally to harmful conditions affecting health.