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

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

However, air-drying dishes in a dish rack may be the most hygienic method. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 21 Feb. 2026

Traditional mops move filthy water, conventional vacuums push fine dust back into the air and cleaning cloths need to be rinsed to maintain hygienic conditions. —William Jones, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026

Though the Romans sought to improve these conditions, a separate study at Hadrian’s Wall found that the Romans could not always maintain the hygienic standards they were known for. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 18 Jan. 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