as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
a TV producer who knew what the unwashed masses wanted—and unhesitatingly gave it to them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in masses
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
Aunt Edna was fond of snootily reminding us that we need not take our manners from the great unwashed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwashed
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Sorry Lady Liberty – no unwashed masses need apply.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Bliss is said to have examined Garfield's wounds with unwashed hands and dirty tools, and the president's death further damaged his reputation.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwashed
Adjective
Salmonella can contaminate food in various ways, the CDC says, either through the water used to grow fruits and vegetables, or by cross-contamination caused by unwashed hands or food preparation instruments.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Sorry Lady Liberty – no unwashed masses need apply.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Bliss is said to have examined Garfield's wounds with unwashed hands and dirty tools, and the president's death further damaged his reputation.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwashed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwashed
Adjective
-
The Heat was also without Nikola Jovic (low back injury management), Terry Rozier (not with team) and Jahmir Young (G League) on Thursday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Many unions, for instance, which have their own healthcare plans, might welcome lower drug prices.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But the earlier dolls were crude, lumpen things, a cross between a beanbag and a sculpted potato.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Yet Empire Falls translates into a lumpen, stodgy miniseries, despite a fine central performance from Harris as a divorced diner owner with deep roots in the town and a structure that allows the past to keep informing and enriching the present.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
There’s a rabble-rousing politician with grievances galore.—
Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Tanner spoke in a blend of political rabble-rousing and entrepreneurial uplift.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
If your child accomplished something great, here's how to offer praise while keeping them humble, modest, and appreciative.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
-
All of Mabel’s new forest friends—there are deer, rabbits, turtles, raccoons, and a singularly gloomy bear—bow down to a beaver sovereign, King George (Bobby Moynihan), a gregarious and naïve soul who embraces a humble, communal ideal of living.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That combination makes for a happy society and ensures a populace that drives a productive economy for years to come.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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The announcers need to study intensely, learning details not only about an athlete, but what a particular sport means to the populace of a country halfway around the world.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Below that sits the pedestrian CLK 500 and plebeian CLK 350.—
Jeremy Korzeniewski,
Robb Report,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Trump endorsed Fuller months after Greene, once his top ally, resigned following a public falling out with the president.—
Jeff Amy,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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The Pentagon has long treated the public disclosure of casualty figures, including troops wounded in combat, as a core piece of its accountability to both the American public and the families of those who serve -- a practice which dates back to World War II.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.—
Time,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwashed. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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