hale

adjective

\ ˈhāl

Definition of hale

(Entry 1 of 6)

: free from defect, disease, or infirmity : sound also : retaining exceptional health and vigor a hale and hearty old man

hale

verb

haled; haling

Definition of hale (Entry 2 of 6)

transitive verb

1 : haul, pull

2 : to compel to go haled her into court

Hale

biographical name (1)

\ ˈhāl

Definition of Hale (Entry 3 of 6)

Edward Everett 1822–1909 American Unitarian clergyman and writer

Hale

biographical name (2)

Definition of Hale (Entry 4 of 6)

George Ellery 1868–1938 American astronomer

Hale

biographical name (3)

Definition of Hale (Entry 5 of 6)

Sir Matthew 1609–1676 English jurist

Hale

biographical name (4)

Definition of Hale (Entry 6 of 6)

Nathan 1755–1776 American Revolutionary hero

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym What's the Difference Between hale,healthy, sound, and robust? More Example Sentences Learn More about hale

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Synonyms & Antonyms for hale

Synonyms: Adjective

able-bodied, bouncing, fit, healthy, hearty, robust, sound, well, well-conditioned, whole, wholesome

Synonyms: Verb

drag, draw, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug

Antonyms: Adjective

ailing, diseased, ill, sick, unfit, unhealthy, unsound, unwell

Antonyms: Verb

drive, propel, push

Choose the Right Synonym for hale

Adjective

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. a healthy family sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction. a sound heart wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance. a face with a wholesome glow robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly. a lively, robust little boy hale applies particularly to robustness in old age. still hale at the age of eighty well implies merely freedom from disease or illness. she has never been a well person

What's the Difference Between hale,healthy, sound, and robust?

Adjective

When you need a word to describe someone or something in good health, you might pick hale or a synonym such as healthy, sound, or robust. Of those terms, healthy is the most general, implying full strength and vigor or simply freedom from signs of disease. Sound generally emphasizes the complete absence of defects of mind or body. Robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly and usually suggests muscular strength as well as the ability to work or play long and hard. Hale applies especially to robustness in later life. The phrase "hale and hearty" is often used to describe an older person who retains the physical qualities of youth.

Examples of hale in a Sentence

Adjective

still hale and strong at 80, often outdoing his younger golfing buddies

Verb

the fishermen haled the huge net onto the deck of the ship

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Neighbors said that not so long ago, Tony seemed hale—a stocky figure walking down the sidewalk in a tank top, like a pint-size, sure-stepping Marlon Brando. — Wired, "A Brutal Murder, a Wearable Witness, and an Unlikely Suspect," 17 Sep. 2019 At 98, the last surviving worker remains relatively hale and won’t retire. — The Economist, "The last man to have built Mount Rushmore," 1 Aug. 2019 Just to pick and choose a few more examples, these hard and fast doublets are anything but fine and dandy, tip top, well and good, hale and hearty and fair and just. Redundancies are the junk food of our language. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Redundancies are now the junk food of our language," 20 July 2019 These tropes are resistant to the facts on the ground, where the art form is hale and hearty (albeit a little hard up for cash), but one formerly common narrative of decline has largely disappeared in the face of incontrovertible strength. — Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, "A wave of great jazz singers is headed for the Bay Area," 17 July 2019 Like Hockney himself, hale and fruitful at the age of eighty-one, the film has weathered well. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "“The Dead Don’t Die” Does the Zombie Genre to Death," 14 June 2019 The doctor was a large, hale man, with a coxcomb of thinning red hair. — Adam O’fallon Price, Harper's magazine, "The Maid’s Story," 10 June 2019 Galatasaray'ın ertelenmiş sorunları birike birike bu hale geldi. — SI.com, "Galatasaray's New President Eyes Leicester City Outcast in January Loan Move," 24 Jan. 2018 And if a few extra days of rest now mean that Chapman will be hearty and hale in October, that silver lining may look more like a brass ring. — New York Times, "Yankees, With No Lead to Protect Against the Indians, Get to Rest Aroldis Chapman," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Then an employer who attempts union-busting could be haled into court and face an injunction against demoting or firing union organizers, followed by a trial and possibly heavy damages. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "Dealt a body blow by the Supreme Court, unions ponder: Where do we go from here?," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.