Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Unclean.
  • adverb In an unclean manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not cleanly; not clean; foul; filthy; dirty.
  • Not chaste; unchaste; obscene.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb not in a clean way; in an unclean way
  • adjective dirty, unhygienic, not cleanly
  • adjective not pure in a moral or religious sense

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective habitually unclean

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From unclean + -ly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From un- + cleanly.

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Examples

  • Though the Greeks are an oppressed nation, yet, as Sir William Gell testifies, they cannot be called uncleanly in their habits.

    The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 10, No. 265, July 21, 1827 Various

  • Im sure the peace corps medical office and my grandmothers would have some words for me on my uncleanly behavior, but there is no Lysol under my kitchen sink.

    Archive 2008-01-01 Britta 2008

  • Im sure the peace corps medical office and my grandmothers would have some words for me on my uncleanly behavior, but there is no Lysol under my kitchen sink.

    Vacations and house guests Britta 2008

  • His whole appearance had an air of even wilful slovenliness: His hair was uncombed; he was in boots, which were covered with mud; his coat seemed to have been designedly immersed in powder, and his universal negligence was not only shabby but uncleanly.

    Camilla 2008

  • Jesus abstained from pork, because it is uncleanly, and from rabbit, because it ruminates and its foot is not cloven; we fearlessly eat pork, because it is not uncleanly for us, and we eat rabbit which has the cloven foot and does not ruminate.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • Some find the same fault in Spain, even in Madrid, the king's seat, a most excellent air, a pleasant site; but the inhabitants are slovens, and the streets uncleanly kept.

    Anatomy of Melancholy 2007

  • The session number is used to uniquely identify a user session in a given course, and provides a mean to detect if a given session finished uncleanly.

    Reflective Surface - Implementing SCORM: Building the API 2003

  • Here, if you like, was a sanitary parable, addressed by our uncleanly forefathers to their own neglect.

    Edinburgh Picturesque Notes 2005

  • Learn of the wise, and perpend: civet is of a baser birth than tar, the very uncleanly flux of a cat.

    As You Like It 2004

  • You told me you salute not at the court, but you kiss your hands: that courtesy would be uncleanly, if courtiers were shepherds.

    As You Like It 2004

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