cleanliness

noun

clean·​li·​ness ˈklen-lē-nəs 

: the quality or state of being clean : the practice of keeping oneself or one's surroundings clean

Though a stale remark, it can hardly be said too often, that personal cleanliness is one of the necessary agents to health …

—Walt Whitman

The Romans spent hours at their elaborate bathhouse complexes, but not everyone equated cleanliness with virtue …

—Sara Ivry

This cleanliness is necessary to ensure that no dust or particles end up on the silicon surface during the processing of the chip.

—Robert J. Cone

Examples of cleanliness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Make The Restaurants Better The burger business has become brutally competitive and speed, accuracy, cleanliness, food quality and consistency are key to lure customers back to its stores. — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Gather a bunch of people who have never lived on their own before, and there’s a good chance that not all of them will be conscientious about cleanliness. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Richet executes the whole thing with an almost sterile cleanliness. — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

The study evaluated customer satisfaction with various airport lounges across eight categories, including the value of the experience, the staff, the lounges’ food and drinks and their cleanliness and upkeep. — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cleanliness

• cleanliness is next to godliness