SALUTARY Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

salutary

adjective

ˈsal-yə-ˌter-ē

Definition of salutary

as in beneficial

promoting or contributing to personal or social well-being the low interest rates should have a salutary effect on business

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in healthy

good for the health increasing scientific evidence that a glass of wine a day is quite salutary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 But whether permanency has a salutary effect on the program is an important question that will be answered in the next couple of years, Brett Theodos of the Urban Institute said. — Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026 The most salutary was America’s Field Trip, a competition of a familiar kind, in which students between third and twelfth grade from across the states and territories submit drawings, prose, and essays. — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Bart argues that such promotion has a salutary social function, reaching people in underserved communities who might not otherwise be aware that they are entitled to aggressive, contingency-fee advocacy. — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 The outlines of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 are already seared into the American psyche, but this spellbinding book adds fascinating texture and provides a salutary warning for policymakers today. — Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for salutary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for salutary

Adjective

According to Ballato, hydrangea stems contain a sap similar to pine trees that can deter beneficial water flow.

— Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 6 July 2026
Activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, stretching, and yoga are all beneficial.

— Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 6 July 2026

Definition of beneficial

Adjective

That combination of clear skies, dry air and terrain can produce dramatic overnight lows in the 20s and 30s — and in especially favorable setups, even colder readings in localized spots like the one near Kirk, Oregon.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Similarly, Sullivan and Hafley appear to have favorable view about Rodriguez’s ability to wear the green dot.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of favorable

Adjective

The next best thing to intravenous intervention when dehydrated is Liquid IV.

— Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Our best guess is that there might be a little bit of recognition for the youngest generations, too, watching all those clips — as in, Holy cow, Austin Powers was real!

— Chris Willman, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of good

Adjective

The suggestion that the president is in-the-know about what the chairman would like to do with rates is unlikely to be helpful.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 July 2026
The piece from Ginexi linked above contains helpful advice and some short examples about halfway down the page.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026

Definition of helpful

Adjective

The couple has a passion for healthful eating and taking care of the environment, providing for the land that provides for them, as Hakenah Hulitt put it.

— Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
Potatoes are generally considered a more healthful option than rice due to their lower calorie content and higher fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamin B6 content.

— Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 9 June 2026

Definition of healthful

Adjective

The Austrian Southern Railway Company managers’ masterstroke was to promote Opatija as a spa town no less salubrious—and no less glamorous—than Nice, the prime destination for convalescents in the age of tuberculosis.

— Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2026
By then, the salubrious environment that Central Florida’s earliest settlers found had already been transformed many times over.

— Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026

Definition of salubrious

Browse Nearby Words

salubrious

salutary

salutation

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“Salutary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/salutary. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of salutary

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