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

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Etymology

Origin of unclean

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unclean uncleanest

A longstanding taboo in Chinese culture against used goods, seen as unclean or a shameful sign of poverty, is lifting rapidly.

From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026

“It’s the tragic result of a system failing to meet the most basic duty of care,” Padilla said in a statement, citing reports of mold in food, unclean drinking water and barriers to medical care.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

The two bacteria are spread through contact with contaminated faeces, either directly through person-to-person transmission or indirectly from unclean food, water or surfaces.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

The left hand, considered unclean, is reserved for personal hygiene.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025

Lucy’s eyes in form and colour; but Lucy’s eyes unclean and full of hell-fire, instead of the pure, gentle orbs we knew.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

In that short space of time he discovered that the galley was the dirtiest hole under the sun and the cook the uncleanest person that ever handled food.

From The Skipper's Wooing, and The Brown Man's Servant by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

He was a guileless and indeed a holy man; and it's always the guileless and the holy people who raise the uncleanest scandals.

From The Belfry by May Sinclair

There is little doubt but that milk is one of the uncleanest and impurest of all foods.

From No Animal Food and Nutrition and Diet with Vegetable Recipes by Rupert H. Wheldon

Be not the emptiest meetest to receive gifts, and the uncleanest they that have most need of washing?”

From The White Rose of Langley A Story of the Olden Time by Emily Sarah Holt

Of all the unclean ones, Hamlet was the uncleanest.

From Twilight in Italy by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

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