WHOLESOME

wholesome

(adjective) sound or exhibiting soundness in body or mind; “exercise develops wholesome appetites”; “a grin on his ugly wholesome face”

wholesome

(adjective) conducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-being; “wholesome attitude”; “wholesome appearance”; “wholesome food”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

wholesome (comparative wholesomer, superlative wholesomest)

Promoting good physical health and well-being.

Promoting moral and mental well-being.

Favourable to morals, religion or prosperity; sensible; conducive to good; salutary; promoting virtue or being virtuous.

Marked by wholeness; sound and healthy.

Synonyms

• (promoting health): healthy, healthful, salubrious

Antonyms

• unwholesome

Source: Wiktionary

Whole"some, a. [Compar. Wholesomer; superl. Wholesomest.] Etym: [Whole + some; cf. Icel. heilsamr, G. heilsam, D. heilzaam.]

1. Tending to promote health; favoring health; salubrious; salutary. Wholesome thirst and appetite. Milton. From which the industrious poor derive an agreeable and wholesome variety of food. A Smith.

2. Contributing to the health of the mind; favorable to morals, religion, or prosperity; conducive to good; salutary; sound; as, wholesome advice; wholesome doctrines; wholesome truths; wholesome laws. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. Prov. xv. 4. I can not . . . make you a wholesome answer; my wit's diseased. Shak. A wholesome suspicion began to be entertained. Sir W. Scott.

3. Sound; healthy. [Obs.] Shak.

– Whole"some*ly, adv.

– Whole"some*ness, n.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition