unclean

American  

[uhn-kleen] / ʌnˈklin /

adjective

uncleaner, uncleanest

1. not clean; dirty.

   Synonyms:

   filthy

2. morally impure; evil; vile.

   unclean thoughts.

   Synonyms:

   polluted, corrupt, sinful, unchaste, base

3. Chiefly Biblical. having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to the laws, especially the dietary or ceremonial laws.

   an unclean animal; unclean persons.

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unclean British  

/ ʌnˈkliːn /

adjective

1. lacking moral, spiritual, ritual, or physical cleanliness

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Other Word Forms

• uncleanness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of unclean

before 900; Middle English unclene, Old English unclǣne. See un- ¹, clean

Example Sentences

Unclean costumes are a perennial problem, and it was a top reason for the Florida performers wanting to organize with the Teamsters in the early 1980s.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2024

Her previous books - The Unclean, The Reluctant Dead and Dead Corpse - reveal Onoh's profound interest in the relationship between the living and the dead.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2023

Unclean water and poor sanitation abetted his decline.

From Washington Post • Nov. 30, 2016

Unclean hands wagging a greedy finger at the rest of us.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2016

It’s all right,” he said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, while Mrs. Weasley looked stern, “they’re all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn’t hard.”

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling