cleanliness
Americannoun
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the quality, state, or habit of being cleanly, or keeping oneself clean and neat.
personal cleanliness.
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the quality, state, or habit of being kept clean, as a place or object.
the cleanliness of the restaurant.
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the state or quality of being morally pure or upright.
spiritual cleanliness.
Etymology
Origin of cleanliness
First recorded in 1425–75; Middle English clenlynesse, clenlines , see origin at cleanly ( def. ), -ness ( def. )
Explanation
Cleanliness is a habit of staying neat and tidy, or sterile. Cleanliness in your bedroom is nice, but cleanliness in a hospital operating room is critical. If your friend remarks on the cleanliness of your locker, it's probably because of your thoughtful, color-coordinated organizational system. And if that same friend questions the cleanliness of your socks, it's probably because your feet smell terrible. Cleric John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, is famous for the line, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," implying that how clean or dirty you are is a reflection of your moral character.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Guests lie on linen sheets, washed daily, on the floor for cleanliness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Inspectors also raised serious concerns around cleanliness in wards and the management of patient safety incidents, where care had gone wrong but reviews were not always properly carried out.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Authorities say their crackdown will bring cleanliness and order to the city of eight million people.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The underlying premise is the same: cleanliness as virtue, mess as failure.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
He was responsible for the replacement of burnt-out light bulbs, and for the cleanliness of the church, and the care of the Bibles, and the hymn-books, and the placards on the walls.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
