Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

sane

[seyn]
See more synonyms for sane on Thesaurus.com
adjective, san·er, san·est.
  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.
  3. sound; healthy.
Show More

Origin of sane

First recorded in 1620–30, sane is from the Latin word sānus healthy
Related formssane·ly, adverbsane·ness, nounnon·sane, adjectivenon·sane·ly, adverbnon·sane·ness, noun
Can be confusedsane Seine

Synonyms

See more synonyms for sane on Thesaurus.com
2. reasonable, sensible, judicious, level-headed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sanest

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • His daughter, who seemed to be the sanest one in the lot, run and shut the door.

    The Depot Master

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • He knew that he perhaps was the sanest of all men who walked the earth.

    The Street That Wasn't There

    Clifford Donald Simak

  • I am inclined to regard it as the sanest of all human moods.

    Suspended Judgments

    John Cowper Powys

  • He is the sanest of all the great writers; perhaps the only sane one.

    Visions and Revisions

    John Cowper Powys

  • She is one of the sanest persons I have ever known, it seems to me.

    Fernley House

    Laura E. Richards

British Dictionary definitions for sanest

sane

adjective
  1. sound in mind; free from mental disturbance
  2. having or showing reason, good judgment, or sound sense
  3. obsolete healthy
Show More
Derived Formssanely, adverbsaneness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin sānus 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

Word Origin and History for sanest

sane

adj.

1721, back-formation from sanity or else from Latin sanus "sound, healthy," in figurative or transferred use, "of sound mind, rational, sane," also, of style, "correct;" of uncertain origin. Used earlier, of the body, with the sense of "healthy" (1620s). Related: Sanely.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
sanest in Medicine

sane

(sān)
adj.
  1. Of sound mind; mentally healthy.
Show More
Related formssane′ness n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.