hygiene

noun hy·giene \ ˈhī-ˌjēn also hī-ˈjēn \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: hygiene in a Sentence

Definition of hygiene

1 : a science of the establishment and maintenance of health

2 : conditions or practices (as of cleanliness) conducive to health

has poor personal hygiene

Brushing your teeth regularly is an important part of good oral hygiene.

—

hygienist

play \hī-ˈjē-nist, ˈhī-ˌjē-, hī-ˈje-\ noun

See hygiene defined for English-language learners

See hygiene defined for kids

Examples of hygiene in a Sentence

Poor sanitation and hygiene caused many of the soldiers to get sick.
He has very poor personal hygiene.
Brushing your teeth regularly is an important part of good dental hygiene.

Recent Examples of hygiene from the Web

Hepatitis A is typically spread when people eat contaminated food or water; more rarely, the virus is transmitted person-to-person through poor hygiene and close contact.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Hepatitis A outbreak cases on rise across US; Nashville reports outbreak," 30 May 2018
Hand-washing, proper hygiene and following food safety guidelines can also help cut down on transmission, the CDC says.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "Tennessee Is Just the Latest State to Report a Hepatitis A Outbreak. Here's What to Know," 30 May 2018
Female inmates still struggle to get adequate sanitary hygiene products, Burton said.

— gale holland, latimes.com, "Ex-inmate Susan Burton goes back to prison to lead out women she left behind," 26 May 2018
Tent camps have mushroomed in recent weeks along canals in eastern and northeastern Paris, raising concerns for safety and public hygiene.

— Fox News, "French government orders evacuation of Paris migrant camp," 23 May 2018
Her biography goes on to mention a former opinion piece that Meghan wrote for Time that explored how a lack of menstrual hygiene products can affect others.

— lauren rearick, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle’s Official Royal Bio Declares She's a Feminist," 21 May 2018
The company’s products include a long list of signature brands which range from personal hygiene products to beauty care products to powerful and all-natural cleaning products.

— jessica levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "From customers to community, Guy and O’Neill is a company that cares," 4 May 2018
Personal hygiene items are needed to support the group's community service project.

— 'sam' boyer/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Reserve your space in Brunswick community gardens: Whit & Whimsey," 23 Mar. 2018
Several plants have flunked these because of poor hygiene or deficient processes, such as a failure to keep track of manufacturing glitches.

— The Economist, "Indian drugmakers need a new prescription," 22 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of hygiene

French hygiène & New Latin hygieina, from Greek, neuter plural of hygieinos healthful, from hygiēs healthy; akin to Sanskrit su well and to Latin vivus living — more at ¹quick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1671

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year