healthful

adjective

health·​ful ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce healthful (audio)
 also  ˈheltth-
1
: beneficial to health of body or mind
2
: healthy
he felt incapable of looking into the girl's pretty, healthful faceSaul Bellow
healthfully adverb
healthfulness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for healthful

healthful, wholesome, salubrious, salutary mean favorable to the health of mind or body.

healthful implies a positive contribution to a healthy condition.

a healthful diet

wholesome applies to what benefits, builds up, or sustains physically, mentally, or spiritually.

wholesome foods
the movie is wholesome family entertainment

salubrious applies chiefly to the helpful effects of climate or air.

cool and salubrious weather

salutary describes something corrective or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant.

a salutary warning that resulted in increased production

Examples of healthful in a Sentence

The meal was both healthful and satisfying. one of the most healthful forms of exercise is a brisk walk
Recent Examples on the Web For proof, look at the popularity of the many shortcuts available to us that promise all sorts of healthful outcomes. Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 7 Mar. 2024 Founded in the 1990s by a group of scientists from Lund University, Oatly was driven by the vision to create a sustainable and healthful alternative to dairy milk. Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Steaming has long been considered a healthful way to cook. Bonnie S. Benwick, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 This is not intended to be a meal plan, but rather inspiration for how to include more of these healthful foods in your week. Alice Callahan, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024 To eat, the resort’s Harvest Moon and 1894 restaurant serves healthful gourmet meals — many of whose ingredients are plucked from the property and nearby purveyors. Kate Donnelly, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Read on to learn which foods people with psoriatic arthritis should avoid—plus more healthful choices to eat instead. Anne Harding, Health, 9 Feb. 2024 The first candidate was a healthful brown rice, corn and bean salsa bowl that had previously flunked my flavor test. Nancy Baggett, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Plan healthful snacks that fit within your daily nutrition needs. Leeann Weintraub, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'healthful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of healthful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near healthful

Cite this Entry

“Healthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/healthful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

healthful

adjective
health·​ful ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce healthful (audio)
1
: good for the health of the body or mind
healthful exercise
2
healthfully
-fə-lē
adverb
healthfulness noun

Medical Definition

healthful

adjective
health·​ful ˈhelth-fəl How to pronounce healthful (audio)
: beneficial to health of body or mind
healthfully adverb
healthfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on healthful

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