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
At the other end of the uncleanly finger and thumb was an ordinary-looking individual of Teutonic and generally unwholesome aspect, bearded, and his poll thatched with a profusion of dark bush.
From A Veldt Official A Novel of Circumstance by Bertram Mitford
The uncleanly shanty faded from before his eyes, and he was not even conscious that Allonby, who had laid down his own correspondence, was watching him until the latter broke the silence.
From A Damaged Reputation by Harold Bindloss
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.
