nutritious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonnutritious adjective
- nonnutritiously adverb
- nonnutritiousness noun
- nutritiously adverb
- nutritiousness noun
- subnutritious adjective
- subnutritiously adverb
- subnutritiousness noun
- unnutritious adjective
- unnutritiously adverb
Etymology
Origin of nutritious
1655–65; < Latin nūtrītius that suckles, nourishes, variant of nūtrīcius, equivalent to nūtrīci- (stem of nūtrīx ) nurse ( nurse ) + -us adj. suffix ( -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.
Labeling a food as ultraprocessed doesn’t always indicate whether or not it’s nutritious, and that could cause confusion.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
Electronic tchotchkes are ubiquitous but many people have little or no access to nutritious food or health care as our environment is run through a meat grinder and set on fire.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
For ravens, the eggs provide a nutritious meal, packed with calcium and albumen.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
A spokesperson said: "Our hubs make nutritious, affordable food available while reducing waste and bringing communities together."
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
Their blood is a good, nutritious, salt-free drink; their flesh is tasty and filling; their fat has many uses; and the castaway will find turtle eggs a real treat.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
