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
Droughts, which can lead people to resort to unclean water, triggered outbreaks in Zambia and Zimbabwe; floods, which can destroy infrastructure and contaminate drinking water, did so in Kenya.
—
Bymartin Enserink, science.org, 6 Feb. 2025
Cooked rice noodles were contaminated after an employee handled them with their bare hands after touching unclean items.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2025
These shifts in standards of care make uncovered, unclean stethoscopes culpable vectors in the event of infections during health care delivery.
—Diskcover, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
Sacramento County health inspectors issued the Vietnamese restaurant a yellow placard after witnessing unclean surfaces and food at potentially dangerous temperatures.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Bymartin Enserink, science.org, 6 Feb. 2025
Cooked rice noodles were contaminated after an employee handled them with their bare hands after touching unclean items.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2025
These shifts in standards of care make uncovered, unclean stethoscopes culpable vectors in the event of infections during health care delivery.
—Diskcover, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
Sacramento County health inspectors issued the Vietnamese restaurant a yellow placard after witnessing unclean surfaces and food at potentially dangerous temperatures.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unclean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unclean
Adjective
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Rosamund Pike adds her name to the cast list, starring as a diamond seller whose family launders their profits through corrupt back-channels.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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Countless cases have shown how these schemes have granted safe haven to corrupt actors from around the world and other suspicious individuals in the EU.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Aurangzeb imprisoned his ailing father in 1658 and defeated his brother the year after, before forcibly parading him in chains on a filthy elephant on the streets of Delhi.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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The network has ordered Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, which will see the celebrity chef go undercover to rescue America’s filthiest restaurants.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
It seems squarely aimed at making kids sick by discouraging vaccination.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2025
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Steward said his daughter, while surfing nearby, became sick with an infection from a type of bacteria called MRSA, which is resistant to many antibiotics.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Tom Hardy stars in the neo-noir crime thriller as a corrupt detective named Walker, who shoots, punches, and drop-kicks his way through an entire criminal underworld to rescue the estranged son of dirty politician Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker).—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Good nose tackles do the dirty work down in, down out, getting defensive tackles single blocked, and keeping inside linebackers clean.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This new species was found around villages and gardens, as well as in degraded habitats at a mine site.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
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First, one neural network takes high-quality images from one instrument and simulates degraded images as if they were taken by a different, lower-quality instrument.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Down a dusty street in Jereif West, Fatima Bahlawi, 20 months old, lay wailing in her mother’s arms, waving limbs that were thin as sticks.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Seen from there, the sandstone pylons of Luxor’s temple rose to an open sky, eternally patient in the dusty, pearlescent light.—
Chris Wallace,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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There are no glamorous furnishings — just a French window, its blackened panes suggesting the dark of night.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2022
Adjective
-
The two groups meet on a muddy basketball court, and fight.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Apr. 2025
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She’s worn her pair over muddy trails, through waterfalls, and more.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unclean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unclean. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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