Clean — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb verb noun /ˈklēn/

Meaning & Definition of Clean

Clean (adjective)

  1. free from dirt or pollution
  2. free from contamination or disease
  3. free or relatively free from radioactivity

Clean (adverb)

  1. so as to clean
  2. in a clean manner
  3. all the way, completely

Clean (verb)

  1. to make clean
  2. to rid of dirt, impurities, or extraneous matter
  3. to rid of corruption

Clean (noun)

  1. an act of cleaning dirt especially from the surface of something

Clean (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. free from dirt or stain

    "although the soccer team always starts out with clean uniforms, they don't stay that way for long"

    similar: antiseptic, chaste, fair, immaculate, pristine, spick-and-span, spotless, squeaky-clean, stainless, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied
    related: pure, taintless, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, wholesome, cleanly, germfree, hygienic, sanitary, sterile, abluted, bleached, cleansed, purified, scrubbed, washed, whitened, milky, snowy, white, flawless, unblemished, bright, shiny, sparkling
    opposite: besmirched, dirty, filthy, foul, grubby, smirched, soiled, spotted, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleaned
    near: dingy, greasy, grimy, mucky, muddy, unwashed, defiled, germy, polluted, tainted, unsterile, unsterilized, blackened, discolored

  2. following or according to the rules

    "a clean check from the other hockey player"

    similar: fair, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly
    related: just, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, scrupulous, honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable
    opposite: dirty, foul, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike
    near: immoral, unethical, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous, vicious, wrong

  3. free from any trace of the coarse or indecent

    "only clean songs will be permitted for the performances on the last night of summer camp"

    similar: chaste, decent, G-rated, immaculate, modest, pure, vestal, virgin, virginal
    related: lily-white, spotless, stainless, unblemished, undefiled, unsoiled, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untainted, untarnished, decorous, proper, seemly, cultivated, refined, tasteful, harmless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive
    opposite: coarse, dirty, filthy, immodest, impure, indecent, obscene, smutty, unchaste, unclean, vulgar
    near: blemished, defiled, soiled, spotted, stained, sullied, tainted, tarnished, improper, indecorous, indelicate, ribald, unseemly, crude, tacky, tasteless, unrefined

  4. trying all possibilities

    "police made a clean sweep of the area before the governor's arrival"

    similar: all-out, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, full-scale, out-and-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total
    related: broad, extensive, far-reaching, in-depth, sweeping, wide, wide-ranging, general, global, inclusive, methodical, systematic, no-holds-barred, unhampered, unrestrained
    near: aimless, desultory, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random, cursory, shallow, slipshod, superficial, limited, narrow, restricted

  5. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "the clean joy of running that young children experience"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

  6. lacking contents that could or should be present

    "the ship returned with a clean hold"

    similar: bare, blank, devoid, empty, stark, toom (chiefly Scottish), vacant, vacuous, void
    related: barren, hollow, available, clear, free, open, unfilled, unfurnished, unattended, uninhabited, unoccupied, abandoned, deserted, emptied, forsaken, vacated, depleted, drained, dry, exhausted
    opposite: full
    near: complete, replete, furnished, provided, supplied, filled, occupied, flush, overflowing, packed, teeming

Clean (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to remove the dirt from

    "we cleaned the clothes before donating them to charity"

    similar: cleanse, deterge, GI, turn out
    related: decontaminate, purge, purify, disinfect, sanitize, brush, comb, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, muck (out), rinse, scour, scrub, shampoo, sponge, swab, sweep, vacuum, wash, wipe, brighten, deodorize, freshen, spruce (up), sweeten, pick up, straighten (up), tidy, unclutter
    opposite: besmirch, dirty, foul, soil, spot, stain, sully
    near: begrime, muddy, defile, pollute, taint, blacken, discolor

  2. to take the internal organs out of

    "cleaned the rabbit before cooking it"

    similar: disembowel, draw, eviscerate, gut
    related: bone, dress, cut, excise, extract, remove, withdraw, yank, transplant

Clean (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. according to the rules or the law

    "a boxer who doesn't fight clean"

    similar: cleanly, fair, fairly, legally
    related: ethically, high-mindedly, morally, nobly, honorably
    opposite: dirty, illegally
    near: ignobly, immorally, underhandedly, unethically, dishonorably

  2. to a full extent or degree

    "the thief got clean away"

    similar: all, all of, all over, altogether, completely, dead, enough, entire, entirely, even, exactly, fast, flat, full, fully, heartily, out, perfectly, plumb (chiefly dialect), quite, soundly, thoroughly, through and through, totally, utterly, well, wholly, wide, all the way, at length, down the line, down to the ground, for fair, in whole, to bits, to pieces, to the hilt, to the max
    related: absolutely, categorically, cold, downright, hands down, plain, stone, stone-cold, unqualifiedly, basically, by and large, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, more or less, mostly, overall, predominantly, predominately, primarily, principally, substantially, abundantly, copiously, generously, greatly
    opposite: half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly
    near: barely, hardly, just, kind of, marginally, minimally, scarcely, slightly, superficially, approximately, roughly, somewhat

Related Entry: Clean (up) (verb)

Clean (up) is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean (up), not for clean.

  1. to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff

    "you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom"

    similar: pick up, tidy (up), clean house, set straight
    related: houseclean, housekeep, clean (off), neaten, police (up), straighten (up), turn out, unclutter, arrange, order
    near: clutter, disarrange, mess (up)

  2. to remove objectionable parts from

    "cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper"

    similar: bowdlerize, censor, expurgate, launder, red-pencil
    related: cleanse, purge, purify, abbreviate, blue-pencil, edit, shorten, bleep, blip, cut (out), delete, excise, expunge, gut, x (out), black out, repress, silence, suppress, censure, condemn, denounce, examine, review, screen, scrutinize
    near: approve, authorize, sanction

  3. to destroy all traces of

    "hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen"

    similar: abolish, annihilate, black out, blot out, cancel, efface, eradicate, erase, expunge, exterminate, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, root (out), rub out, snuff (out), stamp (out), sweep (away), wipe out
    related: decimate, demolish, destroy, devastate, ravage, dismantle, flatten, mow (down), raze, tear down, ruin, total, waste, wreck, blast, blow up, dash, dynamite, smash, atomize, consume, devour, dissolve, fragment, powder, pulverize, shatter, splinter, doom, finish, kill, kill off, terminate, zap, cut, discard, ditch, eject, excise, expel, jettison, oust, throw out
    near: conserve, preserve, protect, save, build, construct, create, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, frame, make, manufacture, shape, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renew, renovate, repair, restore, revamp

Related Entry: Clean bill of health (phrase)

Clean bill of health is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean bill of health, not for clean.

  1. an acceptance of something as satisfactory

    "His professor gave him a clean bill of health for his senior project proposal."

    similar: approbation, approval, blessing, favor, imprimatur, OK, pat on the back
    related: backing, cachet, endorsement, finalization, formalization, homologation, nod, ratification, rubber stamp, sanction, support, thumbs-up, vote, benediction, goodwill, acceptation, accession, agreement, assent, concurrence, consent, countenance, liking, satisfaction
    opposite: disapprobation, disapproval, disfavor
    near: refusal, rejection, repudiation, dislike, dissatisfaction, censure, condemnation, criticism, denunciation, deprecation, depreciation, disparagement, opprobrium, reprehension, reproach, reprobation

Related Entry: Clean house (phrase)

Clean house is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean house, not for clean.

  1. to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff

    "We should clean house before the guests begin to arrive."

    similar: clean (up), pick up, tidy (up), set (something) straight
    related: houseclean, housekeep, clean (off), clean (up), neaten, police (up), straighten (up), turn out, unclutter, arrange, order
    near: clutter, disarrange, mess (up)

Related Entry: Clean up one's act (phrase)

Clean up one's act is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean up one's act, not for clean.

  1. to change one's behavior or character for the better

    "If you want to land a decent job, you need to clean up your act."

    similar: amend, mend, reform, shape up, straighten (up or out)
    related: behave, regenerate, better, improve
    near: backslide, regress

Related Entry: Clean (off) (verb)

Clean (off) is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean (off), not for clean.

  1. as in turn out, straighten (up)

    similar: neaten, police (up), straighten (up), turn out, unclutter, houseclean, housekeep, arrange, order, clean (up), pick up, tidy (up)
    opposite: clutter, disarrange, mess (up)

Related Entry: Clean (out) (verb)

Clean (out) is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean (out), not for clean.

  1. as in cheat, defraud

    similar: cheat, defraud, shortchange, denude, bankrupt, disfurnish, impoverish, abate, bereave, deprive, divest, strip

Related Entry: Clean-cut (adjective)

Clean-cut is a different word from Clean. The synonyms below are for clean-cut, not for clean.

  1. as in simple, tidy

    similar: simple, tidy, uncomplicated, apparent, bald, bald-faced, barefaced, bright-line, broad, clear, clear-cut, crystal clear, decided, distinct, evident, lucid, luculent, luminous, manifest, nonambiguous, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, pellucid, perspicuous, plain, ringing, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unambivalent, unequivocal, unmistakable, cognizable, cognoscible, comprehendible, comprehensible, digestible, fathomable, graspable, intelligible, knowable, understandable, self-evident, self-explanatory, overt, undisguised, appreciable, perceptible, recognizable, sensible, tangible, discernible, noticeable, observable, visible, black-and-white, explicit, trenchant, well-defined, clean, decipherable, fair, legible, readable
    opposite: incomprehensible, indecipherable, unfathomable, unintelligible, unknowable, impalpable, imperceptible, inappreciable, indiscernible, insensible, cloudy, gauzy, gray, hazy, imprecise, indefinite, indeterminate, misty, murky, nebulous, noncommittal, sketchy, slippery, subtle, vague, illegible, undecipherable, unreadable, ambiguous, clouded, cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, indistinct, mysterious, nonobvious, obfuscated, obscure, unapparent, unclarified, unclear

  2. as in thriving, flourishing

    similar: blooming, flourishing, flush, prospering, thriving, active, agile, chipper, lively, sprightful, sprightly, spry, vigorous, vital, all right, good, right, ambulatory, nondisabled, uncrippled, hard, hardy, iron, lusty, rugged, stalwart, strong, sturdy, tough, able-bodied, bouncing, fit, hale, healthy, hearty, robust, sound, well, well-conditioned, whole, wholesome
    opposite: ailing, diseased, ill, sick, unfit, unhealthy, unsound, unwell, decrepit, enfeebled, feeble, infirm, run-down, sickened, sickly, weak, weakened, weakly, worn-out, debilitated, differently abled, disabled, incapacitated, delicate, fragile, frail, emaciated, gaunt, haggard, malnourished, undernourished, afflicted, troubled, bad, poorly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Clean

The most common words with a similar meaning to Clean:

Chiefly British: blooming
Southern & Midland: bodacious
Chiefly Scottish: toom
Chiefly dialect: plumb
antiseptic, chaste, fair, immaculate, pristine, spick-and-span, spotless, squeaky-clean, stainless, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly, decent, G-rated, modest, pure, vestal, virgin, virginal, all-out, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, full-scale, out-and-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, absolute, arrant, blank, categorical, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Clean

Words with the opposite meaning of Clean:

besmirched, dirty, filthy, foul, grubby, smirched, soiled, spotted, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleaned, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike, coarse, immodest, impure, indecent, obscene, smutty, unchaste, vulgar, full, besmirch, soil, spot, stain, sully, illegally

Related Words for Clean

taintless, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, wholesome, germfree, hygienic, sanitary, sterile, abluted, bleached, cleansed, purified, scrubbed, washed, whitened, milky, snowy, white, flawless, unblemished, bright, shiny, sparkling, just, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, scrupulous

Near Antonyms of Clean

dingy, greasy, grimy, mucky, muddy, unwashed, defiled, germy, polluted, tainted, unsterile, unsterilized, blackened, discolored, immoral, unethical, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous, vicious, wrong, blemished, tarnished, improper, indecorous, indelicate, ribald, unseemly, crude, tacky

Word Forms of Clean

Inflections: cleaned, cleaning, cleans

Derived words: cleanability (noun), cleanable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Clean

Middle English clene, going back to Old English clǣne "free from impurities or dirt, unblemished," going back to West Germanic *klainja- (whence also Old Saxon klēni "slender, perceptive," Middle Dutch cleine, clēne "of superior quality, elegant, slender, small," Old High German kleini, chleine "fine, delicate, clever"), of uncertain origin

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Clean

Words & Phrases Containing Clean

clean and jerk, clean-cut, clean house, clean-limbed, clean one's clock, clean room

Frequently Asked Questions about Clean

What does "Clean" mean?

"Clean" means free from dirt or pollution. As an an adjective, an adverb, a verb and a noun, it is defined as: free from dirt or pollution. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Clean"?

Other words for "Clean" include antiseptic, chaste, fair, immaculate, pristine, spick-and-span, spotless and squeaky-clean. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Clean" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Clean"?

There are 296 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Clean". Common alternatives include antiseptic, chaste, fair, immaculate, pristine, spick-and-span, spotless, squeaky-clean, stainless and unsoiled.

What is the opposite of "Clean"?

Antonyms of "Clean" include besmirched, dirty, filthy, foul, grubby, smirched, soiled and spotted. Near antonyms include dingy, greasy, grimy and mucky.

How do you use "Clean" in a sentence?

Examples of "Clean" in a sentence: "although the soccer team always starts out with clean uniforms, they don't stay that way for long"; "a clean check from the other hockey player"; "only clean songs will be permitted for the performances on the last night of summer camp".

Is "Clean" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Clean" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Clean" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Clean" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Clean"?

"Clean" is pronounced /ˈklēn/.