Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🧼 To remove dirt 🧼 Not dirty 😇 Not offensive ✅ No problems 📦 To empty 🎯 Perfect action 🚭 No drugs 🧹 Completely ✂️ Complete change 💸 To take all money 🛂 No weapons 🏋️ Weightlifting move 🕊️ Ritually pure
clean

clean

131 3.6
Done with skill and no mistakes
  • adjective
  • /klin/
: preciso
  • So just those very pure, clean ingredients and you have walnut milk.
  • a clean shot
  • a clean hit
  • a clean blow

Wonderful wedding light, so clean I can't breathe.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • No natural tears have such clean, crisp lines or corners.

  • So it looks like a very clean image.

  • The site for the new town is close to a good supply of clean fresh water, leading to an excellent landing beach.

    The Last Ice (2020)

  • But the sound of breaking glass is clean and clear as the spark on a match head.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The idea was to give a smooth, clean edge to her hairdo.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • In a single clean movement, she turned the knob and pushed the door open.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • But I also love the clean feel of a man's scalp.

  • No distortion, no vibrations, just smooth clean bass.

  • The musician played a clean melody on the piano that captivated the audience.

  • The artist used a clean brush to create precise strokes in her painting.

Synonyms

neat
vsclean
123 1.0

Clean and tidy with things in order

is about skillful, smooth execution and purity in sound or color
pristine
vsclean
63 5.1

Very clean and fresh, like new

highlights precise, skillful execution and pure sensory quality rather than unused condition
tidy
vsclean
56 1.0

Having things in order with no mess

is concerned with smooth, skillful execution and purity of sound or color rather than order
clear
vsclean
54 1.0

Pure and distinct in sound or colour

focuses more on skilful, smooth performance and exact purity rather than only tone
immaculate
vsclean
40 5.9

Completely clean and neat with no marks or stains

stresses smooth skilled execution and clear sound or color, not just spotless state
unclouded
vsclean
3 4.0

Clear and easy to see, like a sky or a thought

emphasizes practiced, precise action and sensory purity rather than mere absence of haze

Antonyms

rough
144 1.0

Not smooth and often harsh in sound

clumsy
95 1.2

Moving in an awkward, unsteady way that causes accidents

Idioms

clean bill of health
18 3.3

An official statement that a person or thing is healthy and has no serious problems

to wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
9 5.0

To start fresh by forgetting past mistakes and problems

to clean someone's clock
  • Informal
8 9.3

Beat someone badly in a game or fight

to make a clean breast of
1 7.5

To tell the whole truth about something wrong you did

to start with a clean sheet
  • Informal
1 4.4

Do something new and not worry about past mistakes

to show a clean pair of heels
  • UK
1 8.3

Run away quickly to avoid danger or trouble

to keep one's nose clean
  • Informal
6.8

To avoid trouble and not attract bad attention

Compounds

clean water
48 1.0

Water that is safe to drink and use

clean slate
  • Informal
31 4.1

A chance to start again without being blamed for past mistakes

clean-cut
18 3.8

Having a neat, smart look and tidy clothes

clean break
  • Informal
15 3.9

A complete ending of a relationship or old life to start fresh

clean-shaven
14 3.5

A person with no hair on the face, like on the chin and cheeks

clean sweep
  • Informal
9 3.6

A full success when someone wins everything or makes a complete change

clean-living
8 3.7

Living in a morally careful way and avoiding drinking, smoking, and drugs

clean room
  • Specialized
7 6.4

A room where people keep the air and surfaces very clean for making microchips and other sensitive equipment

clean-burning
  • Specialized
4 5.3

Produces little smoke or ash when burned

clean code
  • Specialized
1 4.0

Clear, well organized computer instructions that are easy to read and change

code clean
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Source code written clearly so other programmers can read and change it

clean and jerk
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A weightlifting move where you lift a heavy bar to your shoulders then push it above your head

immaculately clean
1 4.1

Very clean and tidy with no dirt or marks

clean bomb
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A nuclear bomb that produces very little radioactive fallout

clean-up event
1 3.4

An organized activity where people pick up litter in a public place

clean-limbed
1 7.4

Having well-shaped arms and legs that look strong and graceful

clean-timbered architecture
  • Specialized
8.0

A style of building with simple straight lines and visible wood parts

clean-up event
  • Specialized
3.7

A scheduled task that deletes temporary files to free disk space

laminar flow clean room
  • Specialized
7.2

A clean room where air moves in smooth parallel layers to keep tiny particles away during work like making microchips

How Smooth

flawless
81 3.7
polished
75 2.1
clean
131 3.6
competent
134 3.6
clumsy
17 3.2
rough
62 2.8

Surface Forms

clean positive
cleaner comparative
cleanest superlative

Etymology

Clean used to mean 'pure' and then 'neat', so a clean move, clean cut, or clean punch is one done with skill and no messy mistakes.