as in filthy
not sanitary and likely to cause disease
working under unsanitary conditions The bathroom facilities were unsanitary.
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Recent Examples of unsanitary
Puppies sold in pet stores or online come from puppy mills, where dogs are housed in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions without veterinary care, adequate food or water, or socialization.
—
Elise Gingrich, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Jensen previously pleaded guilty to a charge of care and treatment of animals in 2024, when he was found to have had 19 rats in a 20-gallon tank, living in unsanitary conditions, and all with upper respiratory infections and eye issues.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Frequent spills on the sides and bottom of the can lead to a sticky buildup that becomes stinky and unsanitary.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
But rapidly scaling up immigration arrests has contributed to overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and issues with food and health care access in detention centers, according to media reports and immigration advocates.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsanitary
Elise Gingrich, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Jensen previously pleaded guilty to a charge of care and treatment of animals in 2024, when he was found to have had 19 rats in a 20-gallon tank, living in unsanitary conditions, and all with upper respiratory infections and eye issues.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Frequent spills on the sides and bottom of the can lead to a sticky buildup that becomes stinky and unsanitary.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
But rapidly scaling up immigration arrests has contributed to overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and issues with food and health care access in detention centers, according to media reports and immigration advocates.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsanitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsanitary
Adjective
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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
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State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Let the paste sit for 10 to 20 minutes, leaving it on longer for heavily greased or soiled areas.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Bonner’s story is what is right about sports, which seem to become more soiled and corrupt by the minute.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 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
-
Thick black smoke rose near the city's Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the grounds of the Sharif University of Technology.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Another target was Dario Amodei, a biophysicist and a font of frenetic energy who has a tendency to nervously twist his black hair, and responds to one-line e-mails with multi-paragraph essays.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The company issued the recall because the shrimp may have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with cesium-137 (Cs-137).—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
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Employees were observed to only sanitize their gloved hands after touching insanitary surfaces and then resumed touching RTE food and various food contact surfaces.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Such implications could have a chilling effect on the reporting of such crimes by partners and spouses locked into messy and tumultuous relationships.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
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Despite going through a messy divorce, the former couple remain good friends.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While some show up just to hang out, officials say these events are increasingly turning chaotic with fights, property damage, and in some cases arrests.—
Kaley Fedko,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Magnus ran a hand through his disheveled mane of auburn hair, a chaotic halo framing his disbelief.—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsanitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsanitary. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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