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

Not only is the presentation of these mini desserts adorable, but personal portions are also more hygienic and easier for the host to serve. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 9 May 2026

State Farm also illegally denied payments for hygienic testing for toxins in smoke damage claims, the legal filings said. —Tran Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

The legal filing also faults the company’s handling of smoke damage claims, including denials of payments for hygienic testing. —Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

Mission specialist Christina Koch said that while the astronauts and NASA engineers worked to solve the problems, the crew aboard Orion used backup methods to keep everything hygienic. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 1 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for hygienic

• edenic
• acetylenic
• enoch
• scenic
• muscarinic
• neurasthenic
• 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