Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective salutary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of salutary are healthful, salubrious, and wholesome. While all these words mean "favorable to the health of mind or body," salutary describes something corrective or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant.

a salutary warning that resulted in increased production

When could healthful be used to replace salutary?

The synonyms healthful and salutary are sometimes interchangeable, but healthful implies a positive contribution to a healthy condition.

a healthful diet

When might salubrious be a better fit than salutary?

While in some cases nearly identical to salutary, salubrious applies chiefly to the helpful effects of climate or air.

cool and salubrious weather

In what contexts can wholesome take the place of salutary?

The words wholesome and salutary can be used in similar contexts, but wholesome applies to what benefits, builds up, or sustains physically, mentally, or spiritually.

wholesome foods
the movie is wholesome family entertainment

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of salutary And, perhaps, a brutal estrangement from sources of power and patronage would be salutary in the long term. Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 Deep fakes may indeed have salutary uses in educational settings. Daniel J. Feldman, The Conversation, 17 June 2025 White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, for example, has argued that the bill’s fiscal effects would be far more salutary than would be indicated by the analyses offered by the Congressional Budget Office, which is Congress’s in-house budget scorekeeper. Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2025 The further cuts that are included are politically motivated handouts that make the tax code more complicated, undoing much of the salutary simplification from the TCJA. The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for salutary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for salutary
Adjective
  • Studies in animal models have also shown that oleic acid, a fatty acid found in olive oil, can enhance the function of the intestinal barrier by increasing the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut, specifically Bifidobacteria.
    Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Though beneficial for water supplies, such events can wreak havoc on travel, bring deadly mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Use a simple ratio of 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of greens, a source of protein, and healthy fat to create a satiating, balanced result.
    Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Thanks to her success, the celebrity chef has also been sharing her healthy recipes on social media and her Chloë’s Kitchen food blog.
    Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Rutgers-Eagleton’s mid-October survey mirrored that trend, finding 42 percent of voters viewed Sherrill favorably and 45 percent unfavorably, while Ciattarelli’s numbers were 41 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Pics such as Gladiator and series including Game of Thrones have shot there, taking advantage of the favorable tax rebate system and production hubs.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Non-perishable items or foods that last a long time in the fridge can be good options.
    Merve Ceylan, Health, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The baby, who initially made good progress after the surgery, died 20 days later.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Lessons from history are helpful here.
    Rob Thomas, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • This may be helpful for people who are not healthy enough for major surgery.
    Carrie Madormo, Health, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The family’s wealth dates back to George Garvin Brown, who launched Brown-Forman in Louisville as a medicinal whiskey company in 1870.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
  • It was said that vilas especially loved to bathe in the medicinal waters of the high glacial lake Hridsko Jezero (Crag Lake) also called Liqeni i Zanave (Fairy Lake), hidden under steep cliffs at 6,400 feet.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Every child in our public school district needs regular access to healthful food regardless of their family’s income level.
    Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
  • What began with cooking for a few friends quickly grew into a mission to help busy families and professionals enjoy nourishing meals without compromise, sparking a movement to make healthful eating easier and more meaningful across Arizona.
    Wyles Daniel, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Bambino, Babe Ruth himself, came for spring training beginning around 1915 and credited the natural hot springs baths with having a salubrious effect on him.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
  • At a moment as troubled as this one, to escape from this time into time itself is somehow salubrious.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Salutary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/salutary. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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