hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-ˈjē-nik  -ˈje- 

also

-jē-ˈe-nik 

1

a

: of or relating to hygiene

b

: having or showing good hygiene

hygienic conditions

2

a

: antiseptic sense 2c

sweetly hygienic production … comic in an entirely innocuous way

—J. W. Aldridge

b

: antiseptic sense 3

a hygienic view of national realities and moral imperatives

—I. L. Horowitz

hygienically

ˌhī-ˈjē-ni-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈje-

also

-jē-ˈe-ni- 

adverb

Synonyms

• aseptic
• germfree
• sanitary
• sterile

Examples of hygienic in a Sentence

For hygienic reasons, restaurants should wash silverware and drinking glasses more than once.

The hygienic conditions of the operating room are maintained by the nursing staff.

The prisoners' living quarters were not hygienic.

Recent Examples on the Web

That meant that grooming, as a hygienic behavior, gradually started to lose its relevance and our bouts of grooming started getting shorter. —Byphie Jacobs, science.org, 28 Oct. 2024

In the post-pandemic scenario, using QR codes for payment has become a norm due to quick transactions, ease of use and a hygienic approach to payment. —Nitin Gupta, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

One solution is a bottle drying rack, which provides a hygienic place to put freshly washed bottles and other baby-feeding items. —Sarah Bradley, Parents, 30 Sep. 2024

There’s no scientific hard line on whether a shower or a bath is more hygienic. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-jē-ˈen-ik  hī-ˈjen-  hī-ˈjēn- 

: of, relating to, or leading toward good health or hygiene

hygienically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

hygienic

adjective

hy·​gien·​ic ˌhī-jē-ˈen-ik  hī-ˈjen-  hī-ˈjēn- 

: of, relating to, or conducive to health or hygiene

hygienically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb