Skip to main content
insalubrity

insalubrity

9.9
A condition that is bad for people's health
  • noun
  • /ˌɪn.səˈluː.brɪ.ti/
  • Formal
translation icon : insalubridad
  • Local authorities warned residents about the insalubrity of the water supply after contamination was detected.

Examples

  • The insalubrity of the factory's air made the workers concerned about their health.

  • Doctors often highlight the insalubrity of fast food when discussing diet-related health issues.

  • The beneficial aspects of numerous herbs have been concealed, as are their insalubrities, yet we know how to discover them just as we are able to perceive the dispositions of cattle which have never learned how to speak or explain themselves.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

morbidity
vsinsalubrity
  • Specialized
2 7.5

Poor health that harms the body

is the general quality word used in everyday contexts
unhealthiness
vsinsalubrity
1 3.9

A state of poor physical condition that causes problems

refers to the general harmful quality rather than an individual's illness
insalubriousness
vsinsalubrity
  • Formal
9.9

Being unhealthy or harmful to people's health

is the same meaning but used as the single formal noun
unhealthfulness
vsinsalubrity
7.7

A condition that causes sickness or weakness

describes the broader harmful quality not focused only on cause

Antonyms

1 1.6

Being well in body and mind

salubrity
  • Formal
9.9

A healthy quality of a place or its air that helps people feel well

9.5

A state of being good for your health

How Unhealthy

lethality
6 7.5
insalubrity
  • Formal
9.9
health hazard
15 2.8
health
1.0
wellness
52 3.2

Surface Forms

insalubrity singular
insalubrities plural

Morphology

insalubrity = salubrity (semi-transparent) = in + salubrity

Formally 'in-' (not) + 'salubrity' (healthiness) gives the expected negative meaning, but the base 'salubrity'/'salubrious' is uncommon so the composition may not be obvious to many learners.

Etymology

Insalubrity comes from in- meaning 'not' and a Latin word salubrius meaning 'healthy', and it shares the same root as salute, which was originally a wish for someone's 'health'. So insalubrity means the state of being 'not healthy' or harmful to health.