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uncleanly

adjective

ˌən-ˈklen-lē How to pronounce uncleanly (audio)
Definition of uncleanlynext
as in filthy
not clean the uncleanly uniforms of the restaurant's staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncleanly
  1. filthy
  2. dusty
  3. stained
  4. dirty
  5. blackened
  6. muddy
  7. nasty
Adjective
  • Jurors heard testimony from three of Alsheikh’s victims who said they were packed into small, filthy, cold, wet cells that were infested with insects and other vermin.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That praise rings true more than a decade later thanks to joke after filthy joke, cameo after foul-mouthed cameo, scare after genuine scare.
    — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • The hot and dusty city streets were bathed in decorative green light to celebrate National Day, as hundreds of electronic billboards projected the sword and script of the Saudi flag, shown fluttering as if caught in a breeze.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Raghubir Goyal, an eccentric veteran of the briefing room who serves as White House correspondent for India Globe, a newspaper that appears to no longer exist, stood at the press secretary’s dusty podium and filmed selfie videos.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • Pushing those briars aside revealed a single splinter of stained glass, bright as a ruby and warm as blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • With stained glass, the gray light from outside is filtered through beautiful pieces of glass.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of stained
Adjective
  • Cans, water containers, mattresses and crosses - seeming evidence of the home's former Christian occupants — lay scattered across a dirty room.
    — Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The lingerers brought their dirty dishes to the bus tub, wiped their mouths one last time with a napkin, and waved to Cleo, their faces saying, Nice job!
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of blackened
Adjective
  • The soft, muddy earth created the conditions needed for the dinosaur tracks to be buried, brought back to the surface and exposed by erosion.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, the Great Lawn had to be shut down two months ealier for repairs and resodding after tens of thousands of concertgoers stomped it into a muddy mess.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of muddy
Adjective
  • Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Paul and Matthews have been embroiled in a nasty social media feud that sparked after ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of nasty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

uncleanliness
uncleanly
uncleanness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uncleanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncleanly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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