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It’s a sentence from The New York Times, “I understand the health risk, but why are schools not a priority in being reopened?”

I googled and there are far more “health risk” than “healthy risk“.

Whether in AmE or BrE, Which one is correct? Could someone help analyze from the grammatical view.

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  • You mean because one term shows up more often that makes it right?
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Jul 26, 2020 at 21:52
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    healthy risk is a mistake. This is not a AmE/BrE thing. health risk = risk to (one's) health.
    – Lambie
    Commented Jul 26, 2020 at 22:02
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    A healthy risk would mean a risk that was healthy—or of benefit to someone's well being. I've never heard such a phrase before, and I'm not sure what a good example of a healthy risk would be, but the meaning is clear. And it doesn't mean the same thing as health risk. Both phrases are grammatical, but it's quite likely it's health risk that's intended, especially in the context of the example sentence, where healthy risk wouldn't make any sense.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Jul 26, 2020 at 23:10

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The phrase "healthy risk" is describing the risk itself as being "healthy". Obviously, if the risk were related to an individual's well-being, then the phrase "healthy risk" would be paradoxical and wouldn't make any sense, since a risk is defined as being "a situation involving exposure to danger" (according to the Oxford English Dictionary). Anything that poses a danger to you cannot be healthy.

A "health risk", on the other hand, is a risk that pertains to your health. That is, it's anything that could negatively affect your health. Drinking bleach is a health risk, for instance (it will kill you). You could also have different types of risks, such as financial risks (things that negatively affect your financial status).

In short, the correct phrase is "health risk" and NOT "healthy risk".

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  • It depends on your definition of risk. In theory, dating could be considered a healthy risk. You risk rejection, but it's also a good way of practising social skills and gaining confidence. It's a risk that, if approached properly, helps your emotional and mental states. It's a mistake to say that the phrase itself is wrong. (Your definition of risk is only one of several possible senses.)
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Jul 27, 2020 at 1:52
  • @Jason Bassford, you’re right, which is exactly why I specifically wrote, “[…] if the risk were related to an individual's well-being […]”, and didn’t just generalize the word “risk”. In your example, the risk is associated with being rejected, but that doesn’t necessarily entail any negative consequences for your health or well-being. You might be sad for a while because your expectations weren’t met, but you wouldn’t necessarily fall ill. In OP’s question, the risk is associated directly to one’s medical health. In that case, it is impossible to have a “healthy risk”.
    – CuriosityCalls
    Commented Jul 27, 2020 at 5:43
  • Thank you! It helps a lot. I have a general question about grammar. If a phrase is in the form adj+n, is the adj used to describe n? And if a phrase is in the form noun 1+noun 2, does it mean noun 2 related to noun 1 (such as safety rule, rules related to safety)?
    – Coco
    Commented Aug 7, 2020 at 22:18
  • @JasonBassford I think in the dating case, we would more commonly say “there is a potential of being rejected” rather than “healthy risk”? But like you said, the definition of risk sometimes may depend on the person who use the word, though “healthy risk” is ... really rare and paradoxical. I may never see the phrase and probably created the phrase myself.
    – Coco
    Commented Aug 7, 2020 at 22:29
  • @Coco Gambling (in moderation) could also be considered a healthy risk. You risk losing money, but it's good for your health in terms of relaxation. There are many things that, in this context, could be considered a healthy risk. In both of these cases, it's health risk that would actually be the wrong term, because you're not risking your health. Instead, you're taking a chance that's healthy in terms of your overall well-being.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Aug 7, 2020 at 22:30

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