healthy
healthy — adjective
1. having a body that works well and is free from illness or injury
having a body that works well and is free from illness or injury
Trang stays healthy by walking to work every morning.
collocation: stay healthy
The doctor said the baby was born healthy and strong.
passive: was born healthy
After losing weight, Elena felt much healthier than before.
comparative: healthier than
A healthy adult needs about seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Hiro's grandfather is still healthy and active at age eighty-five.
collocation: healthy and active
- stay healthy
- keep healthy
- remain healthy
- healthy baby
- healthy adult
- healthy and strong
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun
be/look/feel/stay healthy
Usage Note
Often paired with linking verbs such as 'be', 'stay', 'feel', 'look', and 'remain'. Can describe people, animals, or body parts.
Common Mistakes
2. showing signs of good physical condition through a person's appearance, for exam
showing signs of good physical condition through a person's appearance, for example clear skin, bright eyes, or shiny hair
After a month of exercise, Tara had a healthy glow in her cheeks.
collocation: healthy glow
Christopher's hair looks thick and healthy since he changed his diet.
The plant's leaves had a healthy green colour after the rain.
used for plants, not just people
Ada's skin gained a healthy shine once she started drinking more water.
collocation: healthy shine
A healthy complexion is often a sign of good sleep and a balanced diet.
collocation: healthy complexion
- healthy glow
- healthy skin
- healthy hair
- healthy complexion
- healthy shine
- healthy colour
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun (complexion, glow, skin, hair)
look/keep healthy
Usage Note
Unlike sense 1 (PHYSICALLY WELL), this sense describes what someone or something looks like, not their actual internal state. Often used with skin, hair, teeth, nails, and plants.
3. helping your body or mind to stay in good condition through food, exercise, or l
helping your body or mind to stay in good condition through food, exercise, or lifestyle choices
Trang makes a healthy smoothie with spinach and bananas every morning.
collocation: healthy smoothie
Zayd replaced white rice with brown rice for a healthier meal option.
comparative: healthier option
Is eating fish twice a week a healthy habit for most people?
question form: Is ... a healthy habit?
The school started a programme to teach children about healthy snacks.
Joon finds that hiking every weekend is a healthy way to reduce stress.
collocation: a healthy way to
- healthy food
- healthy meal
- healthy diet
- healthy habit
- healthy lifestyle
- healthy snack
- nutritious
specifically about containing important nutrients; less common in conversation
- wholesome
suggests natural, unprocessed qualities and moral goodness
- beneficial
broader — can describe anything with a positive effect, not just health
- good for you
informal phrase, not a single word; very common in speech
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun (food, meal, habit, lifestyle)
be healthy for someone/something
Usage Note
Frequently used before nouns related to food (snack, meal, diet, ingredients), physical activity (exercise, habit, lifestyle), and sometimes abstract things (attitude, relationship, environment).
Common Mistakes
4. working or growing well and showing financial or operational strength — used for
working or growing well and showing financial or operational strength — used for economies, companies, organisations, or relationships
The local economy stayed healthy even during the global slowdown.
collocation: healthy economy
Nia runs a healthy business that has grown every year since 2019.
A healthy marriage depends on honest communication between partners.
collocation: healthy marriage
The technology sector remained healthy despite rising interest rates.
collocation: healthy sector
After years of decline, the town's tourism industry is finally healthy again.
- healthy economy
- healthy business
- healthy relationship
- healthy market
- healthy sector
- healthy democracy
- strong
similar range but more general; can describe markets, currencies, and performances
- flourishing
more dramatic; suggests rapid, visible growth
- thriving
similar to flourishing, but slightly more common in business contexts
- robust
formal; emphasises resilience and the ability to withstand shocks
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun (economy, business, relationship, company)
Usage Note
Subject is usually an abstract entity (economy, company, democracy, relationship) rather than a person. Distinguish from sense 6 (LARGE AMOUNT), which describes the size of a financial figure; this sense describes the well-being of the entity itself.
Common Mistakes
5. showing normal and reasonable thinking, especially a natural amount of a feeling
showing normal and reasonable thinking, especially a natural amount of a feeling or attitude that is useful rather than harmful
Asher has a healthy respect for the dangers of mountain climbing.
collocation: healthy respect
Mayumi showed a healthy skepticism when she questioned the statistics in the online article.
collocation: healthy skepticism
The team showed a healthy level of nervousness before the final match.
collocation: healthy level of
Parents should encourage a healthy curiosity in their children.
collocation: healthy curiosity
William's healthy distrust of quick-fix diets kept him from following bad advice.
collocation: healthy distrust
- healthy respect
- healthy skepticism
- healthy distrust
- healthy curiosity
- healthy level of
- healthy attitude
- reasonable
broader — describes any thought or action based on logic, not just attitudes
- sensible
very close; 'healthy' adds a nuance of natural, instinctive good judgment
- normal
simpler but less precise; 'healthy' implies the amount is not just normal but useful
- unreasonable
contradicts the idea of sound judgment
- excessive
the opposite of a 'healthy amount' — too much
- unhealthy
can also be used before the same nouns: an unhealthy obsession
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun (respect, skepticism, fear, distrust, curiosity)
Usage Note
Only used attributively (before the noun). Common with abstract nouns describing attitudes: respect, skepticism, fear, distrust, curiosity, cynicism, suspicion. The noun always names a feeling that can exist in both helpful and excessive amounts.
Common Mistakes
6. greater than average in amount, size, or degree — used especially of profits, sa
greater than average in amount, size, or degree — used especially of profits, salaries, appetites, margins, or financial returns
The company made a healthy profit from the new product line.
collocation: healthy profit
As a professional athlete, Stefan earns a healthy salary.
collocation: healthy salary
After the long hike, everyone had a healthy appetite for dinner.
collocation: healthy appetite
The university received a healthy donation from former students.
collocation: healthy donation
Tunde's investment portfolio showed a healthy return over five years.
collocation: healthy return
- healthy profit
- healthy salary
- healthy appetite
- healthy donation
- healthy return
- healthy margin
- considerable
formal; similar meaning but neutral — does not carry the positive tone of 'healthy'
- substantial
formal; suggests a solid, significant amount
- generous
used for donations, portions, or offers; implies intention to give plenty
- sizeable
informal; simply means fairly large
Grammar Patterns
healthy + noun (profit, salary, appetite, donation, return)
Usage Note
Only attributive (before the noun). Distinguish from sense 4 (SUCCESSFUL): sense 6 comments on the size of a figure or amount, while sense 4 comments on the overall condition of the entity. A failing company can still report a healthy profit in its final quarter.
healthy — adverb
1. choosing food or daily habits that keep your body and mind in good condition — u
choosing food or daily habits that keep your body and mind in good condition — used especially with verbs about eating and living
Joaquín tries to eat healthy whenever he packs his lunch for work.
informal: eat healthy
Tara has been living more healthily since she joined a sports club.
comparative: more healthily
The nutritionist showed the class how to cook healthy on a small budget.
informal: cook healthy
Élise believes that if you eat healthily, you will feel better every day.
formal adverbial form: eat healthily
To live healthily, you need balanced meals and regular exercise.
pattern: To live healthily, you need...
- eat healthy
- eat healthily
- live healthy
- live healthily
- cook healthy
- cook healthily
- healthily
the standard adverb form; use this in writing
- unhealthily
the opposite — in a way that harms your health
Grammar Patterns
eat/drink/cook/live healthy
eat/drink/cook/live healthily
Usage Note
Two competing forms exist: 'healthy' as a flat adverb (informal, especially American English) and 'healthily' (the standard formally correct form). Learners should use 'healthily' in writing and formal contexts.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/3
'Healthy' is the broadest and most common word for anything that supports good health — food, habits, relationships, and even attitudes. 'Nutritious' is narrower and more scientific: it specifically describes food that contains important vitamins, minerals, and nutrients ('a nutritious breakfast with eggs and oats'). 'Wholesome' adds a sense of naturalness and moral goodness — it suggests food that is simple, unprocessed, and traditionally prepared ('a wholesome home-cooked meal'). 'Beneficial' is the most general; it can apply to anything with a positive effect ('beneficial for heart health'), but in everyday conversation it sounds more formal than 'healthy'. The phrase 'good for you' is the informal, conversational equivalent ('Salmon is good for you'). Choose 'nutritious' when discussing the nutritional content of food specifically; 'wholesome' when you also want to convey a sense of traditional, unprocessed quality; 'healthy' for everyday, general use across all contexts.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- very healthy
- extremely healthy
- perfectly healthy
- relatively healthy
- fairly healthy
- remarkably healthy
Prepositions
- healthy for
Etymology
'Healthy' comes from the Old English 'hālt' meaning 'whole, uninjured, safe' plus the suffix '-ig' (which later became '-y'). The original idea was of being whole or unbroken — the same root that gave us 'whole'. The word 'hale' (as in 'hale and hearty') comes from the same ancient source. 'Healthy' in its modern sense of 'good for your health' dates from the 16th century, and the figurative uses (healthy economy, healthy respect) developed in the 19th and 20th centuries.