wholesome
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
good for your physical health, especially when talking about food.
conducive to physical health and well-being; typically used to describe nutritious, natural food.
Simple“The farm shop sells wholesome bread and fresh vegetables grown in the local fields.”
In context“The retreat focused on providing wholesome meals prepared with organic ingredients to help guests restore their physical vitality.”
UsageUsually precedes the noun it describes.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
good for your mind or character because it is honest, kind, and not offensive.
promoting moral well-being or suggesting a pure and decent character; often used for family-friendly entertainment.
Simple“It was a wholesome film that the whole family could enjoy together.”
In context“The brand built its reputation on a wholesome image, featuring advertisements that celebrated traditional community values and simple living.”
Teacher's tipIn modern internet slang, this is often used to describe content that is heartwarming or emotionally uplifting.
From earlier holesome, from Middle English holsom, holsum, helsum, halsum, from Old English hālsum, hǣlsum, from Proto-West Germanic hailasam, from Proto-Germanic hailasamaz, equivalent to whole + -some or hale (“healthy”) + -some. Cognate with Saterland Frisian heelsoam, Dutch heilzaam, German Low German heelsaam, German heilsam, Icelandic heilsamur, Norwegian Nynorsk helsesam, Swedish hälsosam (“wholesome”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.