Food / A2

un-HELTH-ee/ʌnˈhelθi/

Unhealthy means bad for your health, or not in good health: an unhealthy diet, unhealthy air, look unhealthy. Healthy is the opposite. Ill / sick describe a person who is unwell now. Unhygienic is about dirt and germs — related. Do not write unhealthy when you mean unwell (feeling ill today).

Meaning

Not good for your health; also not in good health.

Examples

• “Eating chips every day is unhealthy.”
• “Sitting all day with no walk is unhealthy.”
• “The report said the river water was unhealthy to drink.”

Good to know

an unhealthy diet / look unhealthy. Opposite: healthy. Now-ill cousin: unwell. Mix-up: unwell.

Topics

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