more unhealthy vs. unhealthier

Question

First off, I'm not a native speaker but this question isn't about the rules themselves but rather usage in the USA.

I learnt that you should say 'unhealthier' (and the Oxford + Longman dictionaries I looked up back me up), but an acquaintance of mine (native speaker) told me to change because it was wrong, it should be 'more unhealthy'. When I pointed out the dictionary backs 'unhealthier', he dismissed the issue as both being accepted but 'more' is still the preferred option in the States and that I should still change.

So what's the story? Are both academically accepted (this person writes/speaks in a very informal way)? Is 'more unhealthy' really so preferred in the States that 'unhealthier' becomes deprecated?

Apparently, it is not specific to AmEng https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=more+unhealthy%2Cunhealthier&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cmore%20unhealthy%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cunhealthier%3B%2Cc0 — Elian, Jan 28 '16 at 13:22
The one-word form is gradually gaining currency, but the two-word form has always been more common (it's currently about twice as common as the one-word form). So it's hardly likely 'unhealthier' will ever become 'deprecated' - things are changing slowly, but if anything it's 'more unhealthy' that might eventually fall into (relative) disuse. — FumbleFingers, Jan 28 '16 at 13:24
M-W says that both forms are acceptable: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/unhealthy — , Jan 28 '16 at 13:27
Related question, Conundrum: “cleverer” or “more clever”, “simpler” or “more simple” etc and “More clear” vs “Clearer”: when to use “more” instead of “-er”?. — , Jan 28 '16 at 15:15
@Rathony: yes, mine is realted to those questions, but they do not give me the answer about 'unhealthy', specifically, which is why I went ahead with it. — SC for reinstatement of Monica, Jan 28 '16 at 15:57
I consider my question answered by your comments. So if anyone would like to repost their thoughts as a question, I'll be happy to accept it. I really just wanted confirmation on whether the 'more' form was academically accepted since the dictionaries I use don't mention it, (besides the strange idea of the -er being possibly deprecated). — SC for reinstatement of Monica, Jan 28 '16 at 16:01
@Josh61: by the way, I didn't know that online dictionary, so thanks for mentioning it — SC for reinstatement of Monica, Jan 28 '16 at 16:02
@SaraCosta It doesn't mean that your question is a duplicate. But I believe an answer to your question is in the related questions. :-) — , Jan 28 '16 at 16:02
"unhealthier" sounds better to me. In this case, you also have the option of "less healthy." — herisson, Jan 28 '16 at 17:02
@sumelic: Well, in that particular context, it really would have to be unhealthy as it was a comparison of several unhealthy habits. Trying to find 'the unhealthiest of them all' kind of thing — SC for reinstatement of Monica, Jan 28 '16 at 17:28
Any two syllable adjective can take er. Silly, sillier; funny, funnier, healthy, healthier. Three syllables take more. — Lambie, Feb 03 '16 at 20:42
@Lambie: not all two syllable adjectives can take er. We say "more basic," not "basicker." — herisson, Feb 03 '16 at 21:24
Read my answer: I said MOST, not all. I forgot to say MOST here. Shoot me. :) — Lambie, Feb 03 '16 at 23:21
'[T]he rules themselves' are eventually dictated by usage, and 'unhealthier' is widely used. There aren't many comparatives formed from 3-syllable adjectives by affixation. But there's at least one. — Edwin Ashworth, May 17 '23 at 10:04

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 17 '23 at 09:57

I haven't found any source that states that unhealthier is deprecated or informal. What it is is unusual. The phrasing more unhealthy is certainly also acceptable, and apparently more commonly used. I think you may be misreading your dictionaries; the fact that a form in -er is listed only means it is possible, not that it is recommended. Your acquaintance is correct to say that "both [are] accepted but 'more' is still the preferred option in the States." Of course, different people have different preferences, and some people may prefer to use a form with -er or -est if it exists and sounds natural to them.

It's true that most adjectives with three syllables or more do not use the inflectional suffixes -er and -est. However, there is an exception for some three-syllable adjectives with the prefix un- and the suffix -y (See slide 6 here: Comparative And Superlative Adjectives, or this page that describes such words as "well-formed"). Other possible words like this are unhappier, unluckier.

The fact that a form in -er is listed (sans caveat) in a respectable dictionary means that a significant number of people use it, not just that it is in the lexicon. And this fulfils what I consider one condition of 'wordness'. // Good examples showing exceptions to the rule of thumb. — Edwin Ashworth, May 17 '23 at 10:11

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 03 '16 at 20:25

1

Unhealthier (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition) (from FDOL).
Unhealthier (Collins English Dictionary - 12th Edition 2014) (from FDOL) (also from Reverso.net).
Unhealthier (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, 2010) (from FDOL).
Unhealthier ("Evidence from Social Psychology - Materialistic people are unhealthier" - 2012 Presentation of F. Sarracino from STATEC, Luxembourg).
Unhealthier ("... light favours unhealthier products over quality products ..." from a speech at the European Parliament on 16 June 2010.)

edited Feb 03 '16 at 20:25

Mari-Lou A

91,183

answered Feb 03 '16 at 19:19

alsa

338

3

The presence of a term in a dictionary is not guidance. – Lambie Feb 03 '16 at 23:29
@Lambie. I agree with you, of course. That's why I mentioned three dictionaries. – alsa Feb 27 '16 at 16:58

more unhealthy vs. unhealthier

2 Answers2