healthy

The word “healthy” means in good physical or mental condition; free from illness. In plain terms, in good condition — or, informally, a decent-sized amount of something.

“Healthy” is pronounced HEHL-thee (/ˈhɛl.θi/ in IPA).

Here is “healthy” used in a sentence: “A healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables.”

Words with a similar meaning to “healthy” include all oak and iron bound, buxom, fit, hail, hale and hale and hearty.

The opposite of “healthy” — its antonyms — are diseased and ill.

“Healthy” is an adjective.

“Healthy” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Healthy” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: in good physical or mental condition; free from illness.

Traditionally, healthy describes someone in good health, while healthful describes things that promote health, such as food. So a person is healthy and a salad is healthful. In everyday modern use, though, healthy has largely absorbed both senses, and healthy food is now widely accepted by most speakers.

Being healthy means being in good physical and mental condition and free from illness, but it is broader than simply not being sick. It also takes in energy, sound sleep, balanced nutrition, fitness, and emotional wellbeing. Health is often seen as overall wellness rather than merely the absence of disease.

Yes. Healthy often describes things that are sound, thriving, or beneficial: a healthy economy, a healthy relationship, a healthy appetite, or a healthy bank balance. In these uses it means strong, well-functioning, or substantial, extending the core idea of good health well beyond the human body.

The main opposites are unhealthy, ill, sick, and unwell when describing a person's condition, and harmful or unwholesome when describing things that are bad for health. Where healthy means sound and free from illness, its antonyms point to sickness, poor condition, or things that damage wellbeing.