unwashed
unwashed Lexical Profile
unwashed Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Not having been cleaned with water and soap; dirty or soiled.
"A pile of unwashed dishes sat in the kitchen sink after the dinner party."
Considered socially inferior, uneducated, or lacking refinement (often used in the phrase 'the unwashed masses').
"The aristocratic club was designed to keep the unwashed public far away from its elite members."
• noun
The ordinary people or lower social classes viewed collectively as lacking culture, education, or refinement (used with 'the', especially in 'the great unwashed').
"The critic wrote as though high art were too complex to be appreciated by the great unwashed."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a noun, 'unwashed' is almost always preceded by the definite article ('the unwashed' or 'the great unwashed') and carries a humorous, ironic, or derogatory tone toward the general public.
• Rhymes for unwashed
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Old English as 'unwæscen', from the prefix 'un-' (not) and the past participle of 'wascan' (to wash). The phrase 'the great unwashed' to describe the lower classes was popularized in the 19th century by British novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton.