unclean
Americanadjective
-
not clean; dirty.
- Synonyms:
- filthy
-
morally impure; evil; vile.
unclean thoughts.
-
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.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unclean
before 900; Middle English unclene, Old English unclǣne. See un- 1, clean
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.
See Examples For:
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
She is now living in temporary shelter where food is scarce and water unclean.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
The left hand, considered unclean, is reserved for personal hygiene.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025
The servants drew away from him as though he were something unclean, and Steven and Emilia turned the other way if they saw him coming.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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 Sinclair, May
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 Wheldon, Rupert H.
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 Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark)
Of all the unclean ones, Hamlet was the uncleanest.
From Twilight in Italy by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
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 Holt, Emily Sarah
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.
