unsanitary

adjective un·san·i·tary \ ˌən-ˈsa-nə-ˌter-ē \

Updated on: 26 May 2018

Definition of unsanitary

: unclean enough to endanger health : not sanitary

unsanitary conditions

unsanitary habits/practices

See unsanitary defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unsanitary from the Web

Last December, customers at Topshop pop-up locations complained about unsanitary conditions and how staff allegedly did nothing to keep people from opening the products to test them out.

— emily wang, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Responds to Comments Saying She Was Late to Kylie Cosmetics' San Francisco Pop-Up Shop," 22 May 2018
Her first store had a full list of crazy rules and fans thought her Topshop stores were unsanitary.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "Kylie Jenner Goes on Twitter Rant After Getting Backlash for Her Pop-Up Store," 21 May 2018
The hepatitis outbreak lasted more than a year and spread among San Diego’s homeless population and beyond, and was exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions in which street people were living.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A new twist on San Diego's homeless-hepatitis nexus," 20 May 2018
Related In Gaza, fresh water is unsanitary and the seas are polluted with raw sewage.

— NBC News, "Gaza protests replaced by funerals as Palestinians mark 'nakba'," 15 May 2018
The shameful Marchand licking act has to be as unsanitary as spitting on someone’s face.

— kevin allen, USA TODAY, "Brad Marchand's repeat licking is making a mockery of the NHL playoffs," 5 May 2018
Because of increasingly unsanitary conditions, people living in a camp by Third and Plum Streets asked police to intervene.

— sam rosenstiel, Cincinnati.com, "How does cleaning tent cities fight the larger issue of homelessness?," 7 May 2018
About 150 workers participated, protesting wage cuts and unsanitary living conditions.

— maria polletta, azcentral, "#RedForEd teacher walkout latest in long line of Arizona worker protests, strikes," 22 Apr. 2018
Dogs in parks are unsanitary and pose a safety concern around children.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Divided Greenfield parks board votes to keep status quo: No dogs in parks," 11 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of unsanitary

1872

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

UNSANITARY Defined for Kids

unsanitary

adjective un·san·i·tary \ ˌən-ˈsa-nə-ˌter-ē \

Definition of unsanitary for Students

: likely to cause sickness or disease : dirty or full of germs

Medical Dictionary

unsanitary

adjective un·san·i·tary \ -ˈsan-ə-ˌter-ē \

medical Definition of unsanitary

: not sanitary : insanitary

unsanitary conditions

Learn More about unsanitary

See words that rhyme with unsanitary Spanish Central: Translation of unsanitary Nglish: Translation of unsanitary for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up unsanitary? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

unsanitary

Definition of unsanitary

Recent Examples of unsanitary from the Web

First Known Use of unsanitary

UNSANITARY Defined for Kids

unsanitary

Definition of unsanitary for Students

Medical Dictionary

unsanitary

medical Definition of unsanitary

Learn More about unsanitary

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

riposte

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Noun + Verb Insult Generator

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Spell It

Add Diction

8 Insults Made Up of a Noun and a Verb

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word

unsanitary

Definition of unsanitary

Recent Examples of unsanitary from the Web

First Known Use of unsanitary

UNSANITARY Defined for Kids

unsanitary

Definition of unsanitary for Students

Medical Dictionary

unsanitary

medical Definition of unsanitary

Learn More about unsanitary

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

8 Insults Made Up of a Noun and a Verb

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word