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sanitary Definition

sani·tary (san′ə ter′ē)

adjective

  1. of health or the rules and conditions of health; esp., promoting health and healthful conditions by the elimination of dirt and agents of infection or disease
  2. in a clean, healthy condition; hygienic

Etymology: Fr sanitaire < L sanitas: see sanitarium & -ary

sanitary Related Forms
san′i·tar′i·ly adverb san′i·tar′i·ness noun
sanitary Synonyms

sanitary

modif.

hygienic, sanative, uncontaminated, wholesome, unpolluted, purified, sterile, healthful; see also clean 1.

sanitary Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • ware: Quality sanitary ware is fitted with related wall tiling.
  • towel: You should bring a sanitary towel with you to the hospital.
  • napkin: They advised the purchase of a few sanitary napkins to tape to your knees and were handing out gloves to anyone who wanted them.
  • convenience: How many sanitary conveniences need to be provided under the Building Regulations?
  • annex: A sanitary annex was erected at the Church of England Chapel.
  • inspector: Sanitary inspectors are high school or college graduates, or have attended some years of college.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: In modern terms the tippler wasn't a very sanitary appliance.
  • also: There are also sanitary station problems here at Hebden Bridge.
  • not: That's fiber optic cables, by the way: Presumably, you're talking about storm sewers, and not sanitary sewers.
sanitary Quotes

Yet her conception of God was certainly not orthodox. She felt towards Him as she might have felt towards a glorified sanitary engineer; and in some of her speculations she seems hardly to distinguish between the Deity and the Drains.

—Strachey, (Giles) Lytton