uncleanly
1 Americanadverb
adjective
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncleanly1
before 950; Old English unclǣnlīce (not recorded in ME). See un- 1, cleanly
Origin of uncleanly2
before 1000; Middle English onclenlich, Old English unclǣnlīc. See unclean, -ly
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:
They were soon removed, partly because of complaints they were being used in an "uncleanly manner".
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2022
The dim flicker of gas, often subdued and debilitated by grim and uncleanly globes, was supplanted by a steady glare, bright and mellow, which illuminated interiors and shown through windows fixed and unwavering.
From Slate ● Nov. 22, 2013
As the bedbug prefers an uncleanly environment, he is taboo as a subject of polite conversation.
From Time Magazine Archive
You reached them by means of an uncleanly train, whose driver seemed to be perpetually on the look-out for an excuse to stop with a jolt.
From People of Position by H. Richard Boehm
There had been a trader named Ogilvie in this part of the world, a mild, uncleanly man who sold cloth and bought wild rubber.
From Sanders of the River by Edgar Wallace
But unbeknown to most bathers, the boiler heating the water runs on a fuel with the uncleanliest of origins: pellets recycled from soiled adult diapers.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2021
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.
