sanatorium

noun

san·​a·​to·​ri·​um ˌsa-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-əm How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
variants or sanitarium or less commonly sanitorium
plural sanatoriums or sanatoria ˌsa-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə How to pronounce sanatorium (audio) or sanitariums or sanitaria ˌsa-nə-ˈter-ē-ə How to pronounce sanatorium (audio) also sanitoriums or sanitoria ˌsa-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
1
: an establishment or facility offering usually long-term medical care or treatment: such as
a
: an establishment that provides therapy typically involving specific regimens (such as special diet, fresh air, or daily exercise) for treatment or rehabilitation
I contracted pulmonary tuberculosis and found myself flat on my back in a sanatorium in the Adirondack Mountains …Walker Percy
He wanted to kick the drugs, and several times in 1966 and 1967 he went to a sanitarium outside Paris and took a "sleeping cure"—a regimen of tranquillizers and bed rest.Ingrid Sischy
b
: a facility treating individuals with mental or emotional disorders
He suffered his first nervous breakdown in November of 1947 … and was committed to a Long Island sanatorium for almost a year.Francis Davis
Feodora was in and out of sanatoria until she committed suicide in 1945.Judy Bachrach
… we read of Freud's twice-a-day visits to the sanitarium where his hysterical patient was staying …Janet Malcolm
c
: an institution for rest and recuperation
It was the same sanitarium where he recovered from a quintuple heart bypass operation in 1996.Fred Coleman
2
: an establishment catering to individuals seeking to improve or maintain good health : a health resort
So all we get is a luxe bustling sanitarium with people concentrating on vegetarian diets and their colons.Stanley Kauffmann

Examples of sanatorium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Kalari Rasayana has the feel of a sanatorium merged with a strict boarding school. Jane Alexander, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Feb. 2024 His mother sent the aimless youth to a chalet in the Austrian Alps which served as a combination university and sanatorium. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 Wong began to drink heavily and had to check into a hospital followed by convalescence at a sanatorium, selling off her jewelry to foot the bills. Mayukh Sen, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023 Gladkov said the sanatorium in the village of Lavy, about 25 miles from the border, was shelled, killing two refugees and a staff member. Susie Blann, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023 The governor of Belgorod region, which neighbors Ukraine and has come under frequent attack, said the drone hit a sanatorium in a village. Reuters, NBC News, 23 Aug. 2023 Gladkov said the sanatorium in the village of Lavy, about 40km (25 miles) from the border, was shelled, killing two refugees and a staff member. Susie Blann, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2023 With patients like Mitchell reporting improved conditions, Croghan drew up plans for an even larger hotel sanatorium inside Mammoth Cave. Leo Deluca, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2021 Alice didn’t attend any of her daughters’ weddings, having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and committed to a sanatorium in Switzerland. Samantha Drake, Town & Country, 9 Apr. 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

sanatorium from Late Latin sānātōrius (adjective) "healing" (from Latin sānāre "to cure, restore to health"—derivative of sānus "sound, healthy," of uncertain origin— + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix) + -orium; sanitarium from Latin sānitās "health, soundness of mind" + -arium — more at sanity

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sanatorium was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near sanatorium

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

sanatorium

noun
san·​a·​to·​ri·​um ˌsan-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əm How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
-ˈtȯr-
plural sanatoriums or sanatoria -ē-ə How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
: an establishment for the care and treatment especially of people recovering from illness or having a disease likely to last a long time

called also sanitarium

Medical Definition

sanatorium

noun
san·​a·​to·​ri·​um ˌsan-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əm, -ˈtȯr- How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
plural sanatoriums or sanatoria -ē-ə How to pronounce sanatorium (audio)
1
: an establishment that provides therapy combined with a regimen (as of diet and exercise) for treatment or rehabilitation
2
a
: an institution for rest and recuperation (as of convalescents)
b
: an establishment for the treatment of the chronically ill
a tuberculosis sanatorium
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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