healthy
Americanadjective
-
possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality.
a healthy body;
a healthy mind.
- Antonyms:
- sick
-
pertaining to or characteristic of good health or a sound and vigorous mind.
a healthy appearance;
healthy attitudes.
-
conducive to good health; healthful.
healthy recreations.
- Synonyms:
- nourishing, nutritious
-
eligible for the Food and Drug Administration's label certifying that a food is suitable for helping consumers achieve a total diet that conforms to dietary recommendations.
-
prosperous or sound.
a healthy business.
-
Informal. fairly large.
I bought a healthy number of books.
adjective
-
enjoying good health
-
functioning well or being sound
the company's finances are not very healthy
-
conducive to health; salutary
-
indicating soundness of body or mind
a healthy appetite
-
informal considerable in size or amount
a healthy sum
Synonym Usage
Healthy, healthful, salubrious, salutary, wholesome refer to the promotion of health. Healthy, while applied especially to what possesses health, is also applicable to what is conducive to health: a healthy climate; not a healthy place to be. Healthful and salubrious are applied chiefly to what is conducive to health: healthful diet or exercise; a salubrious impact on mental outlook. Salutary suggests something that is conducive to well-being generally, as well as beneficial in preserving or in restoring health: salutary effects; to take salutary measures. It is used also to indicate moral benefit: to have a salutary fear of devious behavior. Wholesome has connotations of attractive freshness and purity; it applies to what is good for one, physically, morally, or both: wholesome food; wholesome influences or advice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of healthy
Explanation
Healthy means having good health. It's the opposite of sick, but also can mean "doing well" in a general sense. You can have a healthy attitude, or be served a healthy portion of food. Health is one of the most fundamental human concerns. The ubiquitous "How are you?" is often asking after a person's health. To remember healthy think of the proverb: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise."
Vocabulary lists containing healthy
List 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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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:
In turn, his grandsons see a role model of active and healthy aging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But, she adds, that doesn't mean people with insecure attachments are incapable of healthy relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
If this all sounds boring compared to adding Skubal to a rotation that’s full of star power when healthy, that’s by design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"We hope people would come and see how healthy they are, playing wholeheartedly and sleeping soundly like kids," the zoo said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Peter was home, yet he was not safe, any more than any healthy young male was safe.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
They also had smaller nucleoli and better-preserved nuclear architecture, both signs that the cells were maintaining a healthier internal structure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Importantly, there are signs that Nike’s lifestyle-sneaker business is moderating to a healthier size and that its performance segment is improving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But I see a healthier market emerging from it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Their opponents were set to be a Sunday league team from Reading called XL FC who use football as a way to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Their prospects of escape to a healthier environment were dim.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
The place is family-owned and probably has the healthiest ice cream you’ll find.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The healthiest part of the labor market is, well, healthcare.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
"I think the reason this year has gone so well for me is because I've had my healthiest winter training I've had in years."
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
“These are the healthiest people in the population.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
“I was like everyone else. I once told a friend of mine, in a moment of exuberance, ‘I’m gonna be the healthiest old man you ever met!’
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
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.
