- adjective
- verb
- adjective 2
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Synonyms
healthy, sound, wholesome, robust, hale, well mean enjoying or indicative of good health.
healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.
sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.
wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.
robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.
hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.
well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.
Examples of hale in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
partly from Middle English (northern) hale, from Old English hāl; partly from Middle English hail, from Old Norse heill — more at whole
Verb
Middle English halen, from Anglo-French haler, aler — more at haul
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Hale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hale. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
hale
1 of 2 adjectivehale
2 of 2 verbAdjective
partly from Middle English hale "healthy, unhurt," from Old English hāl (same meaning) and partly from Middle English hail (an interjection of approval or greeting), derived from early Norse heill "healthy" — related to hail entry 3, health, wassail, whole
Verb
Middle English halen "to pull," from early French haler (same meaning); of Germanic origin — related to haul
Biographical Definition
Hale 1 of 4
biographical name (1)
Hale
2 of 4biographical name (2)
Hale
3 of 4biographical name (3)
Hale
4 of 4biographical name (4)
More from Merriam-Webster on hale
Nglish: Translation of hale for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hale for Arabic Speakers
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