unwashed

American  

[uhn-wosht, -wawsht] / ʌnˈwɒʃt, -ˈwɔʃt /

adjective

1. not cleaned or purified by or as if by washing.

   unwashed dishes;

   the unwashed soul of a sinner.

2. pertaining to or characteristic of the common people; untutored, unsophisticated, or ignorant; plebeian.

   the power of the unwashed electorate.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. an ignorant or lower-class group; rabble.

   The author claimed that the unwashed would not understand his books.

unwashed British  

/ ʌnˈwɒʃt /

adjective

1. not washed

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plural noun

1. humorous the masses

Etymology

Origin of unwashed

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; un- ¹ + wash ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Door handles, faucet knobs, and flush levers tend to be more contaminated because they are frequently touched, often with unwashed hands.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

The patrons pause scrolling to glance at this unhinged, unwashed man wearing a crown of computer wires wrapped around his head like an IT messiah.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Modi, as the Italian was affectionately called, was urbane, well-groomed and handsome, while Soutine was destitute, sickly and notoriously unwashed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Clothes go unwashed and families can’t bathe their children properly, meaning skin diseases and diarrhoea are widespread.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024

Neither was accustomed to getting up so early, to feeling so unwashed, or feeling so hungry.

From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg