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
-
Democrats have never run against a candidate like Ken Paxton that is so corrupt that his own party impeached him.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
-
Our lame-duck governor is happily corrupt and no longer answerable to Floridians.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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The president had complained about filthy water and a leaking foundation, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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And some of the best evidence of the lovebugs’ comeback came last week at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza on Florida’s Turnpike, where filthy, splattered cars and trucks queued up before the plaza’s automatic windshield washer.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
One night in April when the boy playing Orlando was home sick and Jamie was waiting for Adele in their private coital chamber, Bromley kept her late to work on the scene where Orlando courts Rosalind playing Ganymede playing Rosalind.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Recently, she’s begun to feel physically sick due to everything going on in her life and is sharing with us that she’s been struggling with getting up, eating and other simple, everyday things.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Workers have told us that even wiping sweat from their face can be criticized because supervisors worry about the garment getting dirty.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
2 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
-
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
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Sprinkle borax into the toilet bowl, focusing on stained areas.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
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 7 Jun. 2026.
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