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

Jewish immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe adapted the German Delikatessen model by removing pork and other unclean foods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

To be clear, the movie wasn’t what it claimed to be, but a bizarre blend of staged scenes and found footage, which only heightened its notoriety as an unclean object.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

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

Like many chefs, he bemoans National Insurance rises and increasing business rates, but also more local problems like limited car parking and unclean streets, which put off diners.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

The hole below was filled with a sludge of soiled water and worse, all the useless and unclean bits discarded during the slaughtering process.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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

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

Of all the unclean ones, Hamlet was the uncleanest.

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

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

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