sanity

[san-i-tee]

noun

1. the state of being sane; soundness of mind.

2. soundness of judgment.

   Synonyms: reasonableness, sensibleness, rationality, reason

sanity

/ ˈsænɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being sane

2. good sense or soundness of judgment

Other Word Forms

• nonsanity noun
• supersanity noun
• unsanity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanity¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sanite, from Latin sānitās; equivalent to sane + -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanity¹

C15: from Latin sānitās health, from sānus healthy

Example Sentences

Any major construction project is a herding expedition in a blinding fog, and it can be a test of patience and sanity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She questions whether her career was really worth sacrificing her privacy, her sanity and even her health, as punishing live shows exacerbated her fibromyalgia, a condition that cause chronic, full-body pain.

Read more on BBC

Such a recognition is an abdication not only of basic human decency, but also of national interest and strategic sanity.

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Humankind might have gone mad, but the show’s focus on the shredding of civil society charts some welcome sanity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These demons gallop through the country on horseback, eagerly waging war with sanity, facts and anyone who scares them — which is pretty much the whole world.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• common-sense 
• normality 
• prudence 
• rationality 
• soundness 
• stability 
• wit