Synonym Chooser

How is the word wholesome distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wholesome are hale, healthy, robust, sound, and well. While all these words mean "enjoying or indicative of good health," wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.

a face with a wholesome glow

Where would hale be a reasonable alternative to wholesome?

Although the words hale and wholesome have much in common, hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.

still hale at the age of eighty

When is it sensible to use healthy instead of wholesome?

In some situations, the words healthy and wholesome are roughly equivalent. However, healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

a healthy family

In what contexts can robust take the place of wholesome?

The synonyms robust and wholesome are sometimes interchangeable, but robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.

a lively, robust little boy

When can sound be used instead of wholesome?

The meanings of sound and wholesome largely overlap; however, sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

a sound heart

When could well be used to replace wholesome?

While the synonyms well and wholesome are close in meaning, well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.

she has never been a well person

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 wholesome This is wholesome news, considering the former Wendy Williams Show host broke down in tears during her interview about the possibility of not seeing her father on his birthday. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 3 Feb. 2025 Mayers seemed to have successfully transitioned into a wholesome dad with both underground rap and high-culture acclaim, including a famous 2023 Vogue cover that showed him and a pregnant Rihanna walking hand in hand down a beach while Mayers held their first child. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025 My diet will never be as wholesome as Dr. Nestle’s. New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025 The mythical dream of dinner is that after a hard but wholesome day at school or work, the family unit is reunited over a hot meal, freshly prepared. Rachel Sugar, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for wholesome 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wholesome
Adjective
  • Carson Soucy was healthy scratched for the first time this season, with Elias Pettersson, the defenceman, drawing into the lineup instead.
    Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
  • The new year is often a time of reflection and planning—a moment to reassess priorities and take steps toward a healthier, more informed future.
    Kara Markley Sterling, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Mancini, meanwhile, doesn’t have a high ceiling but has a good chance of developing into a legitimate upgrade compared to who the Canucks have iced on the right side of their third pair this season (Noah Juulsen/Vincent Desharnais).
    Corey Pronman, The Athletic, 1 Feb. 2025
  • Principles of good administration, therefore, necessitate action to restore accountability to the career civil service, beginning with positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Crockpots are still made well, as are, in my experience anyway, the more modernized version: Instant Pots.
    Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
  • The witch’s magic is still MIA, but her attitude is well and truly back.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Focusing on Longevity and Well-being Senior living operators are well aware of the nationwide trend in the country toward increasing our healthful years beyond 65.
    Sara Zeff Geber, PhD, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Between the lines: Senate Democrats have not been raising alarms at the same level, however, and there is some speculation Kennedy could even pick up a few Democratic votes, given some lawmakers' interest in issues like healthful foods.
    Peter Sullivan, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The game plan had to change to something more conservative, more repeatable, more robust.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
  • The former Czechoslovakia was the first country to demonstrate that nationwide eradication of wild poliovirus was possible in 1960, due to a robust vaccination campaign in which about 93% of children received the oral vaccine.
    Soph Warnes, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near wholesome

Cite this Entry

“Wholesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wholesome. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wholesome

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