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Synonyms

uncleanly

1 American  
[uhn-kleen-lee] / ʌnˈklin li /

adverb

  1. in an unclean manner.

uncleanly 2 American  
[uhn-klen-lee] / ʌnˈklɛn li /

adjective

uncleanlier, uncleanliest

  1. unclean.

uncleanly 1 British  
/ ʌnˈkliːnlɪ /

adverb

  1. in an unclean manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
uncleanly 2 British  
/ ʌnˈklɛnlɪ /

adjective

  1. characterized by an absence of cleanliness; unclean

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • uncleanliness noun

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.

They were soon removed, partly because of complaints they were being used in an "uncleanly manner".

From BBC

The people are highly uncleanly in their persons.

From Project Gutenberg

At the risk of seeming extravagant, I would say that the stationary wash-bowl as ordinarily used is one of the most uncleanly of modern household appliances.

From Project Gutenberg

His unkempt elf-locks were more wild, his uncleanly linen more disordered, his eye more bright and restless, than of yore.

From Project Gutenberg

The hair hangs round their wild, handsome faces, down to their collar-bones, in loose, heavy, but not uncleanly masses.

From Project Gutenberg

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.