# hygienic

/haɪdʒˈiːnɪk/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hygienic
Updated: 2026-05-19

## Definition

describing a way of writing code that is clean, organized, and easy for other people to understand. It means you follow good habits so your code stays healthy and works well.

For teachers: relating to the practice of writing clean, maintainable, and well-structured code. Often used to describe a style that avoids unnecessary complexity and follows established conventions to ensure readability.

## Examples

- It is important to keep your code hygienic.
- The developer spent the morning refactoring the messy legacy code to make it more hygienic for the team.
- While the initial implementation was functional, the lack of hygienic practices led to a codebase that was difficult to scale and maintain over time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.