sanitation
/ˌsæn.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/ IELTSAcademic
noun
Sanitation is the systems and practices that keep places clean and safe from disease. It often means clean water, toilets, waste removal, and good hygiene.
- Good sanitation helps prevent disease.
- The village needs better sanitation.
- Sanitation is a major public health issue.
Adinary Nuance
Sanitation is broader than cleanliness. It usually refers to public health systems, like toilets, sewage, waste disposal, and safe water. Cleanliness is about being neat or free from dirt; sanitation is about preventing illness. In formal writing, sanitation often sounds more public and civic than personal.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- vệ sinh
- Spanish
- saneamiento
- Chinese
- 卫生
- Japanese
- 衛生
- Korean
- 위생
Etymology
Sanitation comes from Latin sanitas, meaning “health.” It entered English in the 19th century, when cities began to improve public health systems.
Common phrases
sanitation facilitiessanitation standardsimprove sanitationsanitation workers
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is sanitation the same as cleanliness?
- Not exactly. Cleanliness means something is clean, while sanitation means systems that protect health.
- Is sanitation a formal word?
- Yes. It is common in public health, government, and academic writing.
- Can I use sanitation for home cleaning?
- Usually no. For a home, people more often say cleaning or hygiene.