Synonym Chooser

How is the word sane distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sane are judicious, prudent, sage, sapient, sensible, and wise. While all these words mean "having or showing sound judgment," sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness.

remained sane even in times of crises

When might judicious be a better fit than sane?

In some situations, the words judicious and sane are roughly equivalent. However, judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions.

judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure

When is prudent a more appropriate choice than sane?

While the synonyms prudent and sane are close in meaning, prudent suggests the exercise of restraint guided by sound practical wisdom and discretion.

a prudent decision to wait out the storm

In what contexts can sage take the place of sane?

While in some cases nearly identical to sane, sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom.

the sage advice of my father

When is it sensible to use sapient instead of sane?

Although the words sapient and sane have much in common, sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment.

the sapient musings of an old philosopher

When could sensible be used to replace sane?

The meanings of sensible and sane largely overlap; however, sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality.

a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery

Where would wise be a reasonable alternative to sane?

The synonyms wise and sane are sometimes interchangeable, but wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them.

wise beyond his tender years

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 sane No sane person disagrees with me. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025 Only making sure that our baby is taken care of and mama is staying sane lol. Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 Let’s hope cooler, saner heads prevail this year. Arpon Basu, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 In a sane world, someone who claimed that one of the most beneficial accomplishments in human history — the polio vaccine — did more harm than good would be seen as a dangerous crackpot. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sane
Adjective
  • Coaching is stable under Jon Scheyer, who starts his fourth season after replacing the legendary Mike Krzyzewski.
    Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The fund aims to support original game projects from the R&D phase with early-stage capital, offering Taiwanese development teams stable financial backing and professional guidance to transform their ideas into internationally competitive original IPs.
    Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Delays start to increase On Day 31 of the 2019 shutdown, 10% of TSA workers called in sick - triple the normal absence rate.
    Doyinsola Oladipo, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Even though there were rumors about layoffs the day before, everything had seemed relatively normal.
    Lea Chen, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • By the parable-like broadness of its belief that love is the only thing lucid enough to see through an Orwellian assault on reality.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
  • And for those with certain mental health conditions, lucid dreaming on your own can sometimes make the condition worse.
    Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Eggers' stunning visuals and meticulous pace draw viewers into their increasingly desperate mania, gradually wedging open the door between rational interpretation and supernatural inescapability.
    Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The results showed that the chimps’ decisions aligned with rational patterns of belief revision.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The full selection, including Bib Gourmand restaurants (an honor that highlights restaurants offering high-quality food at reasonable prices), recognizes 228 restaurants spanning 44 cuisine types, shining a national and international spotlight on the varied cuisines and talented chefs of the South.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The Penguins have a pretty reasonable amount of depth on the blue line, especially on the right side, which would make that move easier to absorb.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The result is a ski that is balanced and stable, with enough backbone for the experts yet enough forgiveness for intermediates.
    Kimberly Beekman, Outside, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Air frying is healthier, faster, and doesn't splatter grease all over your kitchen.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Even when participants’ average blood pressure seemed healthy, those with the most erratic readings — combined with stiffer arteries — showed telltale signs of brain aging, the study found.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • At 48 percent off, the traveler-adored Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is an excellent, sensible gift that can function as both a personal item and an everyday sightseeing tote.
    Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Understanding the absurdity of one trillion anything makes the $38 trillion US national debt that economists have been blathering on about for years look almost sensible.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sane. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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