sanity
Americannoun
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the state of being sane; soundness of mind.
-
soundness of judgment.
- Synonyms:
- reasonableness, sensibleness, rationality, reason
noun
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the state of being sane
-
good sense or soundness of judgment
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sanity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sanite, from Latin sānitās; equivalent to sane + -ity
Explanation
Sanity is the opposite of insanity. When you have sanity, you're mentally healthy and not acting crazy. Sanity is a word for having a healthy state of mind — people with sanity don't have any loose marbles. Outside of mental hospitals, people often use this word in an exaggerated way when they've had a stressful, difficult day, shouting "I'm losing my sanity!" But if you actually lost your sanity, you'd need some serious medical attention. Besides, it usually takes more than one bad day to push someone over the edge.
Vocabulary lists containing sanity
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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Schooled
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A Lesson Before Dying
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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.
Wright worked with children’s digital-health nonprofit Screen Sanity to turn her daughter’s school in Leawood, Kan., into a massive landline pod.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
In his 1941 book, The Mask of Sanity, the influential US psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley set out the personality profile of a psychopath: a superficially charming but egocentric and untrustworthy person who conceals an antisocial core.
From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023
Citizens for Sanity presented its evidence for its claims to PolitiFact.
From Washington Times • Nov. 3, 2022
A public document cited by OpenSecrets identifies the top executives of Citizens for Sanity as Gene Hamilton, Ian Prior and John Zadrozny.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2022
Sanity is a valuable possession; I hoard it the way people once hoarded money.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" 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.
