hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-ˈjē-nik  -ˈje- 

also

-jē-ˈe-nik 

1

a

: of or relating to hygiene

b

: having or showing good hygiene

hygienic conditions

2

a

: antiseptic sense 2c

… sweetly hygienic production … comic in an entirely innocuous way …

—John W. Aldridge

b

: antiseptic sense 3

… a hygienic view of national realities and moral imperatives.

—I. L. Horowitz

hygienically

ˌhī-ˈjē-ni-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈje-

 

also

-jē-ˈe-ni- 

adverb

Synonyms of hygienic

• sanitary
• sterile

Examples of hygienic in a Sentence

For hygienic reasons, restaurants should wash silverware and drinking glasses more than once.

The hygienic conditions of the operating room are maintained by the nursing staff.

The prisoners' living quarters were not hygienic.

Recent Examples on the Web

Alongside the protest, organizers are collecting donations of clothes, hygienic products and food to stock community food boxes and to create care packages for in-need neighbors. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Mar. 2026

Unicharm could already turn these materials into other hygienic products like toilet paper, but a new ozone treatment designed to bleach, sterilize, and deodorize the pulp is widening the possibilities even further. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Mar. 2026

Heated mop washing and drying For even more hygienic and clean-smelling mops, look for a dock with both heated mop washing and heated drying. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

The texture is rich, so a little goes a long way; use a spatula to keep things hygienic and scoop out the necessary amount. —Iman Balagam, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for hygienic

• acetylenic
• enoch
• scenic
• muscarinic
• neutropenic
• nicotinic
• unhygienic
• thrombocytopenic

Kids Definition

hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-jē-ˈen-ik  hī-ˈjen-  hī-ˈjēn- 

: of, relating to, or leading toward good health or hygiene

hygienically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-jē-ˈen-ik  hī-ˈjen-  hī-ˈjēn- 

: of, relating to, or conducive to health or hygiene

hygienically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb