: an ignorant or underprivileged group : rabble
—usually used with great
the great unwashed
Synonyms
Examples of unwashed in a Sentence
Adjective
a sink full of unwashed dishes
a TV producer who knew what the unwashed masses wanted—and unhesitatingly gave it to them
Noun
Aunt Edna was fond of snootily reminding us that we need not take our manners from the great unwashed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Primrose Freestone, CNN, 2 Sep. 2024
All items must be unworn, unwashed, in their original condition, and include all tags and hygiene seals.
—Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 21 June 2024
See the salaries Arrest records show Marana dad habitually left children in vehicle before toddler died Wrong temperature food, unwashed hands among Phoenix restaurant violations Chandler mother accused of child abuse after toddler tests positive for meth
Is there a Mega Millions payout calculator?
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 17 July 2024
Those who hold elective office, or aspire to, would do well to spend more of their time listening to the great unwashed middle, and way less time pontificating and pandering to the extremists.
—For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwashed 
Adjective
This means as well as dirt, unwashed produce may contain a variety of potentially harmful matter — including bacteria, fungi, viruses and pesticides.
—Primrose Freestone, CNN, 2 Sep. 2024
All items must be unworn, unwashed, in their original condition, and include all tags and hygiene seals.
—Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 21 June 2024
See the salaries Arrest records show Marana dad habitually left children in vehicle before toddler died Wrong temperature food, unwashed hands among Phoenix restaurant violations Chandler mother accused of child abuse after toddler tests positive for meth
Is there a Mega Millions payout calculator?
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 17 July 2024
Those who hold elective office, or aspire to, would do well to spend more of their time listening to the great unwashed middle, and way less time pontificating and pandering to the extremists.
—For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for unwashed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unwashed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Unwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwashed. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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