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

It is salutary to keep such criticisms in focus, because they loosen the hold which familiar ways of thinking may have on us.

SALUTARY definition: favorable to or promoting health; healthful. See examples of salutary used in a sentence.

1. promoting or intended to promote an improvement or beneficial effect: a salutary warning.

Definition of salutary adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Aug 23, 2025 · Borrowed from Middle French salutaire and its source, Latin salutaris (“healthful”), from salus (“health”). salutary (comparative more salutary, superlative most salutary)

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective salutary, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

This sorry tale is a salutary warning of the dangers when politics and business become entangled.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025 sal•u•tar•y /ˈsælyəˌtɛri/ adj. favorable to or promoting health: That vitamin has a salutary effect. causing or …

SALUTARY meaning: having a good or helpful result especially after something unpleasant has happened