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Synonyms

unsanitary

American  
[uhn-san-i-ter-ee] / ʌnˈsæn ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

  1. not sanitary; unhealthy or unhealthful; tending to harbor or spread disease.

    unsanitary living conditions.
unsanitary British  
/ ʌnˈsænɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

  1. not conducive to or promoting health; dirty or unhygienic

"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

  • unsanitarily adverb

Etymology

Origin of unsanitary

First recorded in 1870–75; un- 1 + sanitary

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.

Detained in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison known for unsanitary conditions, Maduro is alone in a cell, with no access to the internet or newspapers.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

When Antoniadi failed to give them anything, they declared that this spotless Pizza Hut was unsanitary.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025

Mr Maqoma showed the BBC a dark, unsanitary bathroom with a toilet that he said he flushes by pouring a bucket of water down it.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

At a property in Aventura, Fla., state regulators found numerous violations, including inadequate resident care, unsanitary conditions and administrative failures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Back home in Congo, I avoided using the school bathrooms because they were unsanitary and often lacked toilet paper.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

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.