sanitary
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to health or the conditions affecting health, especially with reference to cleanliness, precautions against disease, etc.
- Synonyms:
- antiseptic, unpolluted, germfree, clean
- Antonyms:
- septic, polluted, unhealthy, unwholesome, unclean
-
favorable to health; free from dirt, bacteria, etc..
a sanitary washroom.
- Synonyms:
- salutary, healthy, antiseptic, unpolluted, germfree, clean
- Antonyms:
- septic, polluted, unhealthy, unwholesome, unclean
-
providing healthy cleanliness.
a sanitary wrapper on all sandwiches.
adjective
-
of or relating to health and measures for the protection of health
-
conducive to or promoting health; free from dirt, germs, etc; hygienic
Synonym Usage
Sanitary, hygienic agree in being concerned with health. Sanitary refers more especially to conditions affecting health or measures for guarding against infection or disease: to insure sanitary conditions in preparing food. Hygienic is applied to whatever concerns the care of the body and the promotion of health: to live in hygienic surroundings with plenty of fresh air.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sanitary
First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin sānit(ās) “health” ( see sanity) + -ary
Explanation
When something's sanitary, it's extremely clean. It's important for hospitals to be sanitary. The adjective sanitary is useful when you need something stronger than just "clean." Sanitary implies the absence of germs as well as a clean appearance — you probably hope that your favorite restaurant's kitchen is sanitary, and your visiting friends will appreciate your bathroom being sanitary as well. The origin of sanitary is the Latin word sanitas, or "health," from the root sanus, which means both "healthy" and "sane."
Vocabulary lists containing sanitary
Holes
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Theodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
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List 5
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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.
Three said they had contracted scabies—a skin disease associated with inadequate sanitary conditions that can become fatal if untreated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
A handful of mainly religious and aid groups hand out food, water, sanitary towels and nappies.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Sierra Leone has no national policy guaranteeing free sanitary products in schools - unlike Kenya, Botswana, South Africa and Zambia.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
President Trump calls the project a humanitarian gesture as many vessels run low on food “and everything else necessary for largescale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Over coffee they shiver: they themselves are fastidious, they will bottle-feed, which is anyway more sanitary.
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.
