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 His Canadian ploy was not salutary or deliberate, and the justifications that were marshaled in its defense made no sense either for him or for the United States. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025 In Syria, ramping up support to U.S. allies on the ground would have a similarly salutary effect on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s diplomatic initiatives. Linda S. Robinson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Dec. 2015 To some analysts, that difference is a tribute to the flexibility of Britain’s parliamentary government and a salutary distinction between Britain and the United States. Mark Landler, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 Some of history’s most salutary technologies—telephones, automobiles, antibiotics, international jet travel, the personal computer—bent society’s productivity and wealth curves upward. Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for salutary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for salutary
Adjective
  • Pinkerton argues that the FDA's black box warning labels on hormone replacement therapies make women reluctant to take medications that can be beneficial for treating the symptoms of menopause.
    Katia Riddle, NPR, 25 July 2025
  • The majority of Rio’s revenue is derived from iron ore—beneficial for the present, but not quite the forward-looking term that excites the markets.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • The hugging may be a personality quirk, but not doing laundry for a month suggests that there is a problem in her life – economic, emotional, mental or logistical – that’s keeping her from maintaining healthy habits.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
  • Early detection, healthy lifestyle choices, and regular checkups can help manage both conditions and improve quality of life.
    Alexandria Nyembwe, Health, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • Brussels has exempted defense expenditure from its strict rules on government spending and pledged to create a €150 billion fund from which countries can borrow, at favorable interest rates, to invest in their defense.
    Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 21 July 2025
  • Mahaney’s estimates are based on favorable industry checks for consumer demand trends, third-party data checks, and Evercore’s non-deal roadshows (NDR) with UBER management.
    TipRanks.com Staff, CNBC, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • Chef-owner Miguel Angel Jimenez is well worth consulting for the night’s specials and a wine from the impressively deep good list.
    John Mariani, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Heretofore, Raleigh’s best homer-hitting season was 34 in 2024.
    Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Explain why this is a helpful exercise and not just unsanitary and a little awkward.
    EW.com, EW.com, 15 July 2025
  • Blocking noise is a helpful feature for parents of napping children and night nurses who require restful sleep after their shifts.
    Jacqueline Tempera, People.com, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Garlic Garlic, commonly used for both culinary and medicinal purposes, contains allicin—a compound believed to help lower cholesterol production in the liver.
    Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 22 July 2025
  • Stitzel Distillery portfolio and was sold for medicinal use throughout the 1920s.
    Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • What’s not to love about a delicious and healthful version of chips and salsa?
    Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 5 July 2025
  • That includes a fitness routine — tennis and yoga are go-to pursuits — and other healthful habits.
    Nancy Kruh, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Others wondered whether his election will have salubrious effects on Pakistan’s shambolic economy, foreign policy, or internal security.
    C. Christine Fair, Foreign Affairs, 27 July 2018

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Salutary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/salutary. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on salutary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!