unclean

[ uhn-kleen ]
See synonyms for unclean on Thesaurus.com
adjective,un·clean·er, un·clean·est.
  1. not clean; dirty.

  2. morally impure; evil; vile: unclean thoughts.

  1. Chiefly Biblical. having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to the laws, especially the dietary or ceremonial laws: an unclean animal; unclean persons.

Origin of unclean

1
before 900; Middle English unclene,Old English unclǣne.See un-1, clean

Other words for unclean

Other words from unclean

  • un·clean·ness, noun

Words Nearby unclean

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unclean in a sentence

  • Fordun says there was famine in Scotland this year, many being reduced 'to feed on the flesh of horses and other unclean cattle.'

    King Robert the Bruce | A. F. Murison
  • Walsingham says the distress was worst in the north, where, he heard, 'the people ate dogs and horses and other unclean animals.'

    King Robert the Bruce | A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for unclean

unclean

/ (ʌnˈkliːn) /


adjective
  1. lacking moral, spiritual, ritual, or physical cleanliness

Derived forms of unclean

  • uncleanness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012