1
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
there's something unclean about this whole business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filthy
not clean
a lackadaisical waiter who tried to set our table with smudged glasses and unclean silverware
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unclean
Islamic finance may also avoid sectors and products considered haram, or unclean; for example, a sharia-compliant ETF may avoid banks that offer traditional loans or e-commerce platforms that sell pork.
—
Angelica Ang, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Neglecting to clean pet gear regularly isn’t just a cosmetic issue; unclean items can lead to infections, skin irritation, digestive problems, and lingering odors.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
Navarro explains that this is most likely because people commonly touch their spice jars with unclean hands after handling raw meat and don’t sanitize the containers after the fact.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
Its answer to Fading West’s arbitration lawsuit also accuses Fading West of breach of contract, fraud and unclean hands, without further explanation.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Angelica Ang, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Neglecting to clean pet gear regularly isn’t just a cosmetic issue; unclean items can lead to infections, skin irritation, digestive problems, and lingering odors.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
Navarro explains that this is most likely because people commonly touch their spice jars with unclean hands after handling raw meat and don’t sanitize the containers after the fact.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
Its answer to Fading West’s arbitration lawsuit also accuses Fading West of breach of contract, fraud and unclean hands, without further explanation.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unclean
Adjective
-
Fujimori is linked to the authoritarian and corrupt legacy of the government of her late father, Alberto Fujimori, in the 1990s.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
-
Of course, all of this convenient acquiescence will sound familiar in the United States, where our own Congress and Department of Justice have been nothing if not servile to a brazenly corrupt executive.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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For example, the prescription offered by those who saw a generally healthy way of life as the right way to prevent disease helped propel cleaning up the filthy cities of the Industrial Revolution—and that really did reduce the impact of common fevers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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On the other hand, the cloth seats in many buses are filthy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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One daycare worker had also called in sick that morning and another child was on the way.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an investigation notice and public health advisory on Thursday, June 4, after eight people became sick across three states.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
There are very few hints in art of dogs being dirty, vicious or rabid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Even when degraded, enzymes have stable backbones that might be capable of catalyzing reactions, said Sudha Rajamani, an astrobiologist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune who wasn’t involved in the study.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
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According to the company, QTT enables highly secure and resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, helping maintain accurate timing and synchronization even when traditional GPS and radio-frequency signals are unavailable, degraded, or intentionally jammed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Apply to the stained area and work it into the fabric.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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The frame structures already standing would hold stained glass in the finished church for a congregation that formed in the 1890s.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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The other factor is June usually has a lot of dry dusty air that crosses the Atlantic from Africa.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
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Les Airelles Courchevel’s Hans Anderson details were crafted in the 1990s, avoiding the cold corridors and austere, dusty libraries of centuries-old country houses.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
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In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unclean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unclean. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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