unclean
unclean Lexical Profile
unclean Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Dirty, soiled, or lacking sanitary hygiene; not clean.
"The health inspector closed the restaurant after finding unclean kitchen equipment and food storage areas."
Considered ritually impure or forbidden by religious law from being eaten or touched.
"According to ancient dietary laws, certain animals were classified as unclean and excluded from the community's diet."
Morally corrupt, indecent, or spiritually impure.
"The ascetic monk spent hours in meditation trying to purge his mind of unclean thoughts."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'dirty' is the standard everyday word for physical grime, 'unclean' carries a more formal, clinical, or religious weight, often referring to hygiene standards, spiritual impurity, or dietary laws.
• Rhymes for unclean
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'unclæne', combining the privative prefix 'un-' with 'clæne' (clean, pure), used since early medieval times for both physical dirtiness and moral or ritual defilement.