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Synonyms

sane

1 American  
[seyn] / seɪn /

adjective

saner, sanest

  1. free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind.

    a sane person.

  2. having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense.

    sane advice.
    Synonyms:
    judicious, sensible, reasonable

  3. sound; healthy.

SANE 2 American  
[seyn] / seɪn /

noun

  1. a private nationwide organization in the U.S., established in 1957, that opposes nuclear testing and advocates international peace.

sane British  
/ seɪn /

adjective

  1. sound in mind; free from mental disturbance

  2. having or showing reason, good judgment, or sound sense

  3. obsolete healthy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonsane adjective
  • nonsanely adverb
  • nonsaneness noun
  • sanely adverb
  • saneness noun

Etymology

Origin of sane1

First recorded in 1620–30, sane is from the Latin word sānus healthy

Origin of SANE2

Official shortening of its byname Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy

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.

“When a person needs an ER doctor, no sane person stops to ask about the doctor’s race,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It keeps me sane, keeps my mind at ease," he said.

From BBC

It’s a concept borrowed from restaurant service — those end-of-night tasks that set you up for a smoother, saner start the next day — and it immediately appealed to me.

From Salon

The tournament long known as March Madness has a problem: It has never been saner than it is right now.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it’s not an explanation, not really, because what he’s describing isn’t something a sane person would do.

From Literature

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.