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
The visit was prompted by a non-illness complaint regarding general facility sanitation, cross-contamination, unclean food-contact surfaces, and employee hygiene.
—
Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 11 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
According to a case document, those personnel described her motor home as unclean, unheated, and without a bed.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
One parent said her son missed seven days of school in January because of unclean conditions during flu and virus season.
—Bri Hatch, Chalkbeat, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 11 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
According to a case document, those personnel described her motor home as unclean, unheated, and without a bed.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
One parent said her son missed seven days of school in January because of unclean conditions during flu and virus season.
—Bri Hatch, Chalkbeat, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unclean
Adjective
-
Today, Christians observe Good Friday — a day when corrupt religious and political forces crucified Jesus of Nazareth as a common criminal on a rubbish heap outside the city walls of Jerusalem.—
Peter Cook,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
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First there’s Phil Reizenstein, who, during a long career plumbing the depths of Magic City jurisprudence, has represented a former telenovela actor who killed a motorist in a road rage incident, as well as a DEA agent in an investigation into corrupt activities.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Kilitch Healthcare had serious quality lapses, in which the facility was filthy, employees were barefoot on the manufacturing floor and the company fraudulently passed products that failed sterility tests.—
C. Michael White,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2026
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Common areas are often filthy, and increasingly populated by drug users.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
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People without health insurance tend to seek less preventative treatment, become sick more frequently, and die younger than do people with insurance.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The five fabulous transfers who make up coach Dusty May’s starting lineup got down and dirty with the rest of the Wolverines to dig out the national championship on Monday.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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And speaking of windows, Wiseman said that the windows of Orion are already dirty because the crew enjoyed looking out of them so much.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Over that time retirement has been diminished and degraded; Social Security in particular has survived several assassination attempts.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But the Florida Supreme Court last month intervened and ordered advanced DNA testing on the last surviving sample from the case, a badly degraded lab slide with biological material from the jeans that Teresa McAbee wore the night she was murdered.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Featuring special exhibit on stained glass windows in churches throughout Odenton area.—
Staff Report,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Apr. 2026
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Inside, there are 13 stained glass windows alternating in red or blue color with white limestone walls in between.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Robert Pattinson jumped on the dusty-pink trend, strapping on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Chronograph Moon with a copper-colored dial for the New York premiere of The Drama.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
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Across the river in Mexico, men hawk rides in their dusty pick-ups, on horseback or by donkey, to take tourists three-quarters of a mile up a dirt road.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
-
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 Apr. 2026.
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