unhygienic

adjective un·hy·gien·ic \ ˌən-ˌhī-ˈjē-nik , -ˈje- also -jē-ˈe-nik \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of unhygienic

: not having or showing good hygiene : not hygienic : unsanitary

squalid, unhygienic conditions

See unhygienic defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unhygienic from the Web

In some ways, the team found that life centuries ago was unhygienic as might be imagined.

— marissa fessenden, Smithsonian, "DNA from Ancient Latrines Reveal What People Ate Centuries Ago," 4 May 2018
Holly Largy from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Langley confirmed the unhygienic incident to the Abby News.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "A Canadian woman really needed to use the bathroom. Then she got angry, cops say. | Miami Herald," 16 May 2018
Some worry that drinking out of a glass at a bar without a straw is unhygienic, but given that glassware is put through superhot dishwashers, this isn’t much of an argument.

— bee wilson, WSJ, "Could It Be the Last Straw for Plastic Straws?," 13 Apr. 2018
This week, Houston health inspectors found lots of roaches in several restaurants and caught an employee at a popular brewery restaurant doing an unhygienic thing.

— carolina gonzales, Houston Chronicle, "Inspectors call out Karbach restaurant employee for unhygienic practice while handling food," 11 Apr. 2018
Lynne Simnick, senior director of code development for IAPMO, explained to Slate that the code’s original intent was to allow ladies to wipe without coming in contact with a potentially unhygienic seat.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "The Lady-Friendly Reason Toilet Seats in Public Bathrooms Are U-Shaped," 28 Mar. 2018
Myriad factors have contributed to this stigma over the years, with people unjustly viewed as unhygienic or even immoral for contracting herpes, and negative references in movies, television, and drug advertising have worsened this problem.

— kaleigh fasanella, Allure, "Breaking Down the Differences Between Oral and Genital Herpes, aka HSV-1 and HSV-2," 17 Mar. 2018
Again, just no concept of germs or how unhygienic that would be.

— sarah zhang, The Atlantic, "The Gruesome, Bloody World of Victorian Surgery," 22 Oct. 2017
But other physicians were skeptical and bitterly resisted the notion that their sloppy and unhygienic practices were the cause of so many deaths.

— john j. ross, WSJ, "Review: ‘The Butchering Art’ Resurrects Joseph Lister," 13 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unhygienic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unhygienic

1883

in the meaning defined above

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Medical Dictionary

unhygienic

adjective un·hy·gi·en·ic \ ˌən-ˌhī-jē-ˈen-ik, -ˈjen-, -ˈjēn- \

medical Definition of unhygienic

: not healthful or sanitary

unhygienic conditions

unhygienic habits

—

unhygienically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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