Unwholesome means unhealthy or harmful, either to your body or your mind and character. When something is unwholesome, it makes you weaker, sicker, or worse in some way rather than stronger and better.

An unwholesome snack might be loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients that leave you feeling sluggish and tired. Unwholesome air in a stuffy, polluted room can make it hard to breathe and think clearly. But the word often describes things that affect your thoughts and feelings too. An unwholesome friendship might involve a kid who constantly encourages others to be mean or to break rules. Unwholesome entertainment might be filled with cruelty or ugliness that leaves you feeling worse afterward.

The opposite is wholesome, meaning healthy and good for you. Think of the difference between fresh vegetables from a garden (wholesome) and candy you found stuck to the floor of a movie theater (definitely unwholesome). Or compare a friend who builds you up and challenges you to do your best (wholesome) with someone who tears others down and drags you into trouble (unwholesome).

The things you eat, watch, read, and the people you spend time with can be wholesome or unwholesome influences on your life.