nutritious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nutritious
1655–65; < Latin nūtrītius that suckles, nourishes, variant of nūtrīcius, equivalent to nūtrīci- (stem of nūtrīx ) nurse ( see nurse) + -us adj. suffix ( see -ous)
Explanation
Nutritious describes food that's good for you. Brown rice and kale are nutritious, but jelly beans, sadly, are not. Something that provides nutrients — vitamins, minerals, and protein, for example — is nutritious. Our bodies need nutritious food to grow, heal, and stay healthy, however much we might crave tasty, non-nutritious snacks. The adjective nutritious comes from the Latin word nutritius, "that nourishes," which in turn comes from the root nutrix, "nurse."
Vocabulary lists containing nutritious
Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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Words to Describe Food
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The First State of Being
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Smoothies with bananas can still be nutritious, especially as part of a varied diet.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
Efforts to get small shops to sell more nutritious food work best when they are created in partnership with store owners and tailored to fit the needs of local communities.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
Many of the companies assert that their products are nutritious, and they may be.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
"These measures are expected to provide around four million nutritious fish meals each year for communities in Kiribati," says the Ministry of Fisheries.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
She said soy milk was more nutritious than cow milk and although he refused to drink the grainy fluid in the morning, he watched her do so with an uncomplaining common sense.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
