Standard Lemma guide

sanity

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈsæ.nə.ti/
  • General-American: /ˈsæ.nɪ.ti/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsæn.əˌti/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsæn.ɪˌti/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AE1 N AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition of being sane.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • preserve one's sanity
  • lose your sanity
  • decree someone's sanity

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: bedlamism, brainsickness, craze, craziness, derangement, insaneness, insanity, lunacy, lune, madness, mental disorder, mental illness, unreason, unsanity

2

noun

Meaning 2

Reasonable and rational behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

normal or sound powers of mind

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: saneness

Antonyms: insanity

Broader terms: mental health

Narrower terms: lucidity, rationality, reason, reasonableness

History

Etymology

From Middle English sanite, sanyte, sanytee, from Middle French sanité, from Latin sānitās, from sānus (“healthy”) + -itās (“-ity”). By surface analysis, sane + -ity.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: здрав разум (zdrav razum) — the condition of being sane
  • Czech: příčetnost — the condition of being sane
  • Danish: fornuft — the condition of being sane
  • Danish: forstand — the condition of being sane
  • Esperanto: prudento — the condition of being sane
  • French: santé mentale — the condition of being sane
  • Galician: sensatez — the condition of being sane
  • Galician: xuízo — the condition of being sane
  • Galician: siso — the condition of being sane
  • Galician: cordura — the condition of being sane
  • German: Verstand — the condition of being sane
  • German: Zurechnungsfähigkeit — the condition of being sane
  • Greek: λογική (logikí) — the condition of being sane
  • Hungarian: ép elme — the condition of being sane
  • Hungarian: épelméjűség — the condition of being sane
  • Hungarian: józan ész — the condition of being sane
  • Indonesian: kewarasan — the condition of being sane
  • Italian: sanità — the condition of being sane
  • Plautdietsch: Denkjvemieejen — the condition of being sane
  • Polish: poczytalność — the condition of being sane
  • Portuguese: sanidade — the condition of being sane
  • Russian: вменя́емость (vmenjájemostʹ) — the condition of being sane
  • Spanish: cordura — the condition of being sane
  • Swedish: förnuft — the condition of being sane
  • Swedish: förstånd — the condition of being sane
  • Bulgarian: благоразумие (blagorazumie) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Bulgarian: уравновесеност (uravnovesenost) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Chinese Mandarin: 理智 (lǐzhì) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Czech: racionálnost — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Czech: rozumnost — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Esperanto: prudento — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Galician: sensatez — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Galician: sentidiño — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • German: Vernunft — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • German: Vernünftigkeit — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Japanese: 正気 (shōki) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Russian: здравомы́слие (zdravomýslije) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Russian: благоразу́мие (blagorazúmije) — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Spanish: sensatez — reasonable and rational behaviour
  • Swedish: förnuft — reasonable and rational behaviour