salubrious

adjective

sa·​lu·​bri·​ous sə-ˈlü-brē-əs 

: favorable to or promoting health or well-being

salubrious habits

salubriously adverb

salubriousness noun

salubrity

sə-ˈlü-brə-tē 

noun

Did you know?

Salubrious, like healthful and wholesome, describes things that are favorable to the health of the mind or body. (A rather formal and somewhat rare word, it is related by its Latin ancestor salubris to the very common English word safe.) Unlike healthful and wholesome, salubrious tends to apply chiefly to the helpful effects of climate or air, as in “the salubrious climate of the tropical island.” Salubrious seems to be expanding semantically; we occasionally see evidence of it being used as a descriptor of prosperous people or locales. This is the sense used by British author Zadie Smith in her 2023 historical novel The Fraud when she writes: “Following the more salubrious element of the crowd, they found themselves on the second floor of Lady Blessington’s Old Gore House, recently converted into a restaurant by Alexis Soyer.”

Synonyms

• good
• healthful
• healthy
• medicinal
• restorative
• salutary
• salutiferous
• sanative
• tonic
• wholesome

Choose the Right Synonym for salubrious

healthful, wholesome, salubrious, salutary mean favorable to the health of mind or body.

healthful implies a positive contribution to a healthy condition.

a healthful diet

wholesome applies to what benefits, builds up, or sustains physically, mentally, or spiritually.

wholesome foods

the movie is wholesome family entertainment

salubrious applies chiefly to the helpful effects of climate or air.

cool and salubrious weather

salutary describes something corrective or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant.

a salutary warning that resulted in increased production

Examples of salubrious in a Sentence

fresh air and exercise are always salubrious

Recent Examples on the Web

After World War II, the American Army doctor Ancel Keys stumbled into the region, bought an old villa and devoted his life to studying the salubrious effects on the heart of a diet of olive oil, fish and fresh vegetables. —Nina Burleigh, New York Times, 21 May 2024

Where to Stay Hotels near train stations are not always the most salubrious but 25 Hours Hotel is certainly an exception. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023

Banker Belt Some commuter stations will be closed in the run up to Christmas through to the new year — such as Little Kimble and Monks Risborough in the Chiltern hills, a salubrious area to the west of London popular with City workers. —Eamon Farhat, Bloomberg.com, 19 Dec. 2022

Some commuter stations will be closed in the run up to Christmas through to the new year — such as Little Kimble and Monks Risborough in the Chiltern hills, a salubrious area to the west of London popular with City workers. —Eamon Farhat, Bloomberg.com, 19 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin salubris; akin to salvus safe, healthy — more at safe

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

salubrious

adjective

sa·​lu·​bri·​ous sə-ˈlü-brē-əs 

: favorable to health

salubriously adverb

salubriousness noun

Medical Definition

salubrious

adjective

sa·​lu·​bri·​ous sə-ˈlü-brē-əs 

: favorable to or promoting health or well-being

a salubrious climate

salubriousness noun

salubrity

-brət-ē 

noun

plural salubrities