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sanitary

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Free from filth and pathogens.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sanihtuhree

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsænɪtɛɹi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Free from filth and pathogens

  2. Clean and free from pathogens; hygienic.

  3. Of or relating to health.

noun

  1. Sanitary towel.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Free from filth and pathogens

Used this way, sanitary is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use sanitary

  • “Sanitary conditions for preparing food.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

sanitary conditionssanitary landfillsanitary engineersanitary sewersanitary commissionsanitary authoritysanitary sciencesanitary inspector

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • sanitynounDerived noun · specialist

    Normal or sound powers of mind.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • sanitary codenounCompound term

    Set of standards established and enforced by government for health requirements as in plumbing etc.

  • sanitary landfillnounCompound term

    A low area where waste is buried between layers of earth.

  • sanitary napkinnounCompound term

    A disposable absorbent pad (trade name Kotex).

  • sanitary towelnounCompound term

    A disposable absorbent pad (trade name Kotex).

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: free from filth and pathogens

unsanitaryinsanitary

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.