sane
adjective
free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind.
sane
1 American
[seyn]
/ seɪn /
adjective
-
saner,
comparative
-
sanest
superlative
-
free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind.
a sane person.
-
having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense.
sane advice.
- Synonyms:
- judicious, sensible, reasonable
-
sound; healthy.
SANE
2
American
[seyn]
/ seɪn /
noun
sane
British
/ seɪn /
adjective
-
sound in mind; free from mental disturbance
-
having or showing reason, good judgment, or sound sense
-
obsolete healthy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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
Explanation
A sane person doesn't have any screws loose — in other words, they're free of mental illness and in a reasonable state of mind. You probably know that the word insane means crazy. Well, the opposite of insane is sane — or not crazy. A sane person is of sound mind and is mentally healthy. Sane people have good judgment, are reasonable, and can tell the difference between what's real and imagined. Whenever someone commits a crime or does something totally outlandish, people usually wonder if they're sane or not.
Vocabulary lists containing sane
Tears of a Tiger
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P.S. Be Eleven
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Unit 1: Vocabulary from Readings 2
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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.
See Examples For:
A public interest firm willing to carry the case without charge, because no sane person spends airplane money in legal fees to recover an airplane.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Our garbage, he’s convinced, “speaks to us,” and in its honesty he finds the relief that keeps him sane in the bosom of squalor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
What kept them sane was talking among themselves about memories of their past lives, Rumyantsev recalled.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
Lindsay Foreman says she is keeping sane by reading, doing laps of the prison yard and, when she can, practising yoga.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
I know that I have a budding geek, and if I can get him sane through the next thirteen years, there will be another decent adult on this planet.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Not all nurses are certified to be a SANE, and certification requirements vary by state, according to Sekula.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Only seven wins had come in the "SANE" countries: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2024
Shelley, a nurse in rural Eagle County, Colorado, went to her car and called a telehealth company to arrange an appointment with a sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2023
The specialty includes sexual assault nurse examiners, known by the acronym SANE.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 30, 2015
SANE, J. MARTIN-, executor of the Estate of Abel Bonnard.
From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1963 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office
Before her faceoff with Trump, Kelly was known as one of the saner, smarter voices at Fox News—a notable if not breathtaking accomplishment.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
In time, I came up with a saner reply: “I’ll keep working,” I’d say, “as long as I can do my job reasonably well.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
A saner, scientific view hails the eye as the second most complex organ in our bodies.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2025
Indira, with the saner follow-up: “Dorothy, don’t get in the fight.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
“First, I need a shirt of Gabriel’s. Something he wore often, like a favorite T-shirt or something,” Ms. Kline said in a saner manner than I expected.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
“The sanest way forward — you have to learn how to split yourself up into other selves, like an earthworm,” her mentor advised her years earlier, when she was about to graduate.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2022
“Having a therapist has taught me to be less cruel to myself. It’s not like therapy has made me the world’s sanest person; it’s just made me slightly less insane.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
We can look at all of this and hope that our sanest elected officials will use their power to make life better for the whole realm.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2021
And he seemed to me to be the sanest person I had ever met.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2019
Some days I think I’m crazy to have done this; other times that it’s the sanest move I’ve made in years.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
