Salubrious vs lugubrious

The words salubrious and lugubrious are in no way related, though they are still sometimes confused. We will examine the definitions of salubrious and lugubrious, where these terms came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Salubrious means healthy, socially acceptable or pleasant. If something is salubrious, it is wholesome. Related words are salubriously and salubrity. The word salubrious is derived from the Latin word salubris which means healthy or promoting good health.

Lugubrious means extremely sad or mournful, in an especially exaggerated fashion. If someone is lugubrious, they doleful and dismal to be around. Related words are lugubriously, lugubriousness. The word lugubrious is derived from the Latin word lugubris which means extremely sad, having to do with mourning.

Examples

Indeed, a year after the buildup to — and fallout from — the fraught occasion of Canada’s 150th anniversary, where a rising chorus of voices successfully steered the moment from salubrious to a broader reckoning with our long-standingly narrow cultural priorities, we now have the AGO’s answer to what Canada 151 looks like. (The Toronto Star)

The somewhat less hackneyed Adventures of Astroman offers more of everything—more peril, more irony, more dialogue, more characters, more disturbing references to the salubrious effects of drinking milk—as it presents the bleak picture of a world no one really cares to redeem under threat of destruction (or is it mercy?) by the sneering Dr. Kathleen Robotica. (The Chicago Reader)

They were Spaniards outraged by their government’s decision to remove the body of longtime dictator Francisco Franco from its crypt in a lugubrious basilica called Valley of the Fallen. (The Boston Globe)

Immediately following the talks, Russia’s usually lugubrious Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the outcome “better than super.” (The Independent)