salutary

adjective

sal·​u·​tary ˈsal-yə-ˌter-ē 

1

: producing a beneficial effect : remedial

salutary influences

2

: promoting health : curative

salutarily

ˌsal-yə-ˈter-ə-lē 

adverb

salutariness

ˈsal-yə-ˌter-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• advantageous
• benefic
• beneficent
• beneficial
• benignant
• favorable
• friendly
• good
• helpful
• kindly
• profitable

Choose the Right Synonym for salutary

healthful, wholesome, salubrious, salutary mean favorable to the health of mind or body.

healthful implies a positive contribution to a healthy condition.

a healthful diet

wholesome applies to what benefits, builds up, or sustains physically, mentally, or spiritually.

wholesome foods

the movie is wholesome family entertainment

salubrious applies chiefly to the helpful effects of climate or air.

cool and salubrious weather

salutary describes something corrective or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant.

a salutary warning that resulted in increased production

Examples of salutary in a Sentence

The accident should be a salutary lesson to be more careful.

the low interest rates should have a salutary effect on business

Recent Examples on the Web

His Canadian ploy was not salutary or deliberate, and the justifications that were marshaled in its defense made no sense either for him or for the United States. —Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025

In Syria, ramping up support to U.S. allies on the ground would have a similarly salutary effect on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s diplomatic initiatives. —Linda S. Robinson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Dec. 2015

To some analysts, that difference is a tribute to the flexibility of Britain’s parliamentary government and a salutary distinction between Britain and the United States. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Some of history’s most salutary technologies—telephones, automobiles, antibiotics, international jet travel, the personal computer—bent society’s productivity and wealth curves upward. —Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French salutaire, from Latin salutaris, from salut-, salus health

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for salutary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

salutary

adjective

sal·​u·​tary ˈsal-yə-ˌter-ē 

1

: producing a good result

2

: furthering good health

salutariness noun

Medical Definition

salutary

adjective

sal·​u·​tary ˈsal-yə-ˌter-ē 

: promoting health : curative