Healthily is the adverb for the word Healthy and Healthfully is the adverb for the word Healthful.
If you are trying to make some healthy changes in your life, you are probably wondering how you can explain these choices to friends and family.
Using words like healthily and healthfully can be complicated and incredibly confusing. They both have the word health, so they should be the same, right? Healthy and healthful are also confused frequently. All of these words have similar meanings, so how do you know when to use which?
Healthily
Healthily is an adverb of the word health. There are two main definitions of the word healthily. First, it refers to a living thing or person that is strong and well. For example, a person can be healthily thin, and a tree can grow healthily.
Healthily can also refer to something that is good for the health of a living thing or person. A person eats healthily and exercises regularly to take care of their health.
This word is often confused with the word healthy because they are so similar. You can live a healthy lifestyle, or you can live healthily. You can also eat healthy and healthily. The word you choose between these two will give you about the same meaning because they are synonyms.
Healthy means to be in good health physically and mentally. Healthily refers to how you go about becoming healthy. Healthily means to do something in a healthy manner. This is why the words can be interchanged in certain contexts.
Examples
Children need certain nutrients to grow healthily.
She is fit, but healthily plump at the same time.
To lose weight healthily, try eating better and exercising more instead of extreme diets.
Healthfully
Healthfully is commonly looked past because people believe that it isn’t a real word. It is viewed as a mistake for when someone is trying to say healthful or healthy. This is not the case, as healthfully is a real word with real meaning.
Healthfully is an adverb of the word healthful that refers to something that is good for your health. This word is much less common than healthily because the latter flows more easily off the tongue.
Healthful refers to something that is healthy, such as a type of food. You might grocery shop healthfully and get foods that will be good for you.
Healthfully means to do something in a healthful manner.
Examples
Eating healthfully on a daily basis can help you lose weight.
January 1st sees the most online Google searches for tips on how to live healthfully.
When you learn to eat healthfully, you are taking control of your health.
Healthful vs Healthy
Healthfully and healthily derive from the words healthful and healthy. Understanding the difference between these two words will help you remember when to use healthfully or healthily.
Healthful refers to something that will create or increase good health. For example, apples are healthful, yoga is healthful, and fresh air is healthful.
Healthy refers to someone that is slim, fit, and not anywhere near being sick. If something is healthy, whether it is you, a tree, or your bank account, it means that thing is well off.
Healthful and healthy have been confused with each other for more than a century. The words can be considered synonyms, but they are still used differently.
For example, a healthy snack is considered healthful. If you are referring to something that enjoys good health, they are healthy.
Healthy is used much more commonly than healthful, and you will rarely see it being used. This is also true with healthily and healthfully. You are more likely to see healthily used than healthfully.
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