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
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There's a corrupt deal happening at the biggest levels among the billionaire class to increase their wealth at the expense of many people are suffering greatly right now.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
-
The police are a corrupt institution.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
14 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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If healthier people drop out of the risk pool, fewer people subsidize the people who get sick, Gidwani said.—
Andrew Jones,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Nara Organics issued the recall of all lots of Nara Organics Whole Milk Infant Formula after, according to the company recall notice, the FDA and CDC told the company about babies sick with infant botulism in California, Pennsylvania and Washington.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
There are very few hints in art of dogs being dirty, vicious or rabid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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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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SpaceX's headquarters in Starbase, Texas, which sits at the state's southern tip in the Rio Grande Valley, emerges almost unexpectedly after miles of long, dusty dirt roads.—
Maya Blackstone,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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The nose on my sample kicked off with some dusty funk, espresso, and dark chocolate.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
12 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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