healthy

American  

[hel-thee] / ˈhɛl θi /

adjective

healthier, healthiest

1. possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality.

   a healthy body;

   a healthy mind.

   Synonyms:

   robust, hearty, hale

   Antonyms:

   sick

2. pertaining to or characteristic of good health or a sound and vigorous mind.

   a healthy appearance;

   healthy attitudes.

3. conducive to good health; healthful.

   healthy recreations.

   Synonyms:

   nourishing, nutritious

4. eligible for the Food and Drug Administration's label certifying that a food is suitable for helping consumers achieve a total diet that conforms to dietary recommendations.

5. prosperous or sound.

   a healthy business.

6. Informal. fairly large.

   I bought a healthy number of books.

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healthy British  

/ ˈhɛlθɪ /

adjective

1. enjoying good health

2. functioning well or being sound

   the company's finances are not very healthy

3. conducive to health; salutary

4. indicating soundness of body or mind

   a healthy appetite

5. informal considerable in size or amount

   a healthy sum

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Synonym Usage

Healthy, healthful, salubrious, salutary, wholesome refer to the promotion of health. Healthy, while applied especially to what possesses health, is also applicable to what is conducive to health: a healthy climate; not a healthy place to be. Healthful and salubrious are applied chiefly to what is conducive to health: healthful diet or exercise; a salubrious impact on mental outlook. Salutary suggests something that is conducive to well-being generally, as well as beneficial in preserving or in restoring health: salutary effects; to take salutary measures. It is used also to indicate moral benefit: to have a salutary fear of devious behavior. Wholesome has connotations of attractive freshness and purity; it applies to what is good for one, physically, morally, or both: wholesome food; wholesome influences or advice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• healthiness
  noun
• healthily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of healthy

First recorded in 1545–55; health + -y ¹

Explanation

Healthy means having good health. It's the opposite of sick, but also can mean "doing well" in a general sense. You can have a healthy attitude, or be served a healthy portion of food. Health is one of the most fundamental human concerns. The ubiquitous "How are you?" is often asking after a person's health. To remember healthy think of the proverb: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise."

Example Sentences

"This technology lets us focus a powerful and precise beam of radiotherapy directly on to the cancer, limiting the damage to healthy cells," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“The gap between these two figures suggests IPO investors are, on the whole, expressing a healthy wariness toward newly public companies, with a handful of standout winners accounting for most of the gains,” said Rabe.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Collins explained that Mammoth Mountain is a community surrounded by forests, inhabited by a healthy population of bears, and encouraged residents to be hyperaware, especially if they have pets.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

It is active in several organs, including the heart and the brain, where it supports healthy nerve cell function.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

The importance of maintaining a healthy scalp is not to be sneezed at, and lice are no picnic either.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• active
• athletic
• fresh
• healthful
• hearty
• lively
• normal
• robust
• strong
• tough
• vigorous