Clean vs. Dirty: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Clean refers to something free from dirt or impurities, whereas dirty means having or covered with dirt or impurities.
Key Differences
Clean often implies an absence of dirt, debris, or impurities, suggesting a state of orderliness and purity. Dirty, conversely, denotes the presence of such elements, indicating a lack of cleanliness or a state of disarray.
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In terms of appearance, something clean typically presents a neat, unblemished appearance. Dirty, on the other hand, can imply a soiled or tarnished look, often requiring cleaning to restore its original state.
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Regarding health and hygiene, clean conditions are essential for preventing illness and maintaining a healthy environment. In contrast, dirty conditions can harbor germs and lead to health risks, emphasizing the importance of cleanliness.
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Clean can also symbolize moral or ethical purity in a metaphorical sense. Dirty, in a similar metaphorical use, often refers to something unethical, corrupt, or morally questionable.
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In terms of maintenance, keeping something clean requires regular cleaning and care. Allowing something to become dirty, however, often indicates neglect or a lack of maintenance, leading to deterioration or damage.
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Comparison Chart
Grammatical Use
Used as an adjective, verb, or adverb
Used primarily as an adjective
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Connotations
Often positive, implying order and hygiene
Generally negative, implying mess or neglect
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Contextual Usage
Associated with neatness, purity, or clarity
Linked to contamination, disarray, or immorality
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Metaphorical Meaning
Symbolizes honesty, integrity, or simplicity
Represents corruption, complexity, or deceit
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Maintenance Implication
Implies regular care and upkeep
Suggests neglect or lack of care
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Clean and Dirty Definitions
Clean
Not containing any harmful substances.
They switched to clean energy to reduce pollution.
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Dirty
Involving or constituting actions considered morally wrong.
They uncovered dirty secrets during the investigation.
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Clean
Morally uncontaminated, pure.
He is known for his clean business practices.
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Clean
Free from dirt, stain, or impurities; unsoiled
A clean kitchen floor.
Clean clothes.
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Clean
Free from foreign matter or pollution; unadulterated
Clean air.
Clean drinking water.
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Clean
Producing relatively little pollution
A clean fuel.
A cleaner, more efficient engine.
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Clean
Producing relatively little radioactive fallout or contamination
A clean nuclear bomb.
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Clean
Having no imperfections or blemishes; regular or even
A clean edge.
A smooth, clean joint.
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Clean
Not ornate or intricate; spare
"the clean lines and exquisite proportions of early modernism" (Judith Thurman).
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Dirty
Unpleasant or distasteful; thankless
Laying off workers is the dirty part of this job.
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Clean
Fit for all readers, listeners, or audiences; not ribald or obscene
A clean joke.
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Dirty
Not bright and clear in color; somewhat dull or drab. Often used in combination
Dirty-blonde hair.
Dirty-green walls.
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Dirty
Relating to or being a bomb that uses a conventional explosive and radioactive material to contaminate an area with low-level radiation.
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Dirty
Relating to or being a nuclear weapon that produces a very great amount of long-lived radioactive fallout.
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Clean
Showing no evidence of using banned or performance-enhancing substances
Proven to be clean before the race.
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Dirty
Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.
Despite a walk in the rain, my shoes weren't too dirty.
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Dirty
That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.
Don't put that in your mouth, dear. It's dirty.
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Dirty
Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.
At the reception, Uncle Nick got drunk and told dirty jokes to the bridesmaids.
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Dirty
Dishonourable; violating accepted standards or rules.
He might have scored, but it was a dirty trick that won him the penalty.
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Clean
To get rid of (impurities or dirt, for example); remove
Cleaned up the trash.
Cleaned off the stains.
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Clean
To prepare (fowl or other food) for cooking, as by removing the entrails or fat.
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Clean
(Sports) To lift (a barbell) from the floor to the shoulders in one motion.
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Dirty
(computing) Containing data needing to be written back to memory or disk.
Occasionally it reads the sector into a dirty buffer, which means it needs to sync the dirty buffer first.
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Dirty
(slang) Carrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.
None of y'all get into my car if you're dirty.
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Dirty
(informal) Used as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great".
He lives in a dirty great mansion.
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Clean
In an unmarked condition.
Put a clean sheet of paper into the printer.
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Dirty
(slang) Of an alcoholic beverage, especially a cocktail or mixed drink: served with the juice of olives.
Dirty martini
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Clean
(aerodynamics) Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear.
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Dirty
Of food, indulgent in an unhealthy way.
The waiter served dirty burgers to the customers.
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Dirty
Spreading harmful radiation over a wide area.
A dirty explosion
A dirty bomb
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Clean
Empty.
The cargo hold is clean.
Mister, I want to see a clean dinner plate or there'll be no dessert for you.
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Clean
Pure, especially morally or religiously.
Our kids can watch this movie because it is clean.
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Clean
Not having used drugs or alcohol.
I've been clean this time for eight months.
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Clean
(of criminal, driving, etc. records) Without restrictions or penalties, or someone having such a record.
Unlike you, I’ve never caused any accidents — my record is still clean!
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Clean
(informal) Not in possession of weapons or contraband such as drugs.
I'm clean, officer. You can go ahead and search me if you want.
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Dirty
Defiled with dirt; foul; nasty; filthy; not clean or pure; serving to defile; as, dirty hands; dirty water; a dirty white.
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Clean
Smooth, exact, and performed well.
I'll need a sharper knife to make clean cuts.
A clean leap over a fence
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Dirty
Sordid; base; groveling; as, a dirty fellow.
The creature's at his dirty work again.
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Dirty
Sleety; gusty; stormy; as, dirty weather.
Storms of wind, clouds of dust, an angry, dirty sea.
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Clean
(informal) Cool or neat.
Wow, Dude, those are some clean shoes ya got there!
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Clean
(health) Being free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
I want to make sure my fiancé is clean before we are married.
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Dirty
To tarnish; to sully; to scandalize; - said of reputation, character, etc.
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Dirty
Make soiled, filthy, or dirty;
Don't soil your clothes when you play outside!
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Clean
Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.
Clean land;
Clean timber
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Dirty
Soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime;
Dirty unswept sidewalks
A child in dirty overalls
Dirty slums
Piles of dirty dishes
Put his dirty feet on the clean sheet
Wore an unclean shirt
Mining is a dirty job
Cinderella did the dirty work while her sisters preened themselves
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Dirty
(of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency;
Dirty words
A dirty old man
Dirty books and movies
Boys telling dirty jokes
Has a dirty mouth
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Dirty
Spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination;
The air near the foundry was always dirty
The air near the foundry was always dirty
A dirty bomb releases enormous amounts of long-lived radioactive fallout
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Dirty
Contaminated with infecting organisms;
Dirty wounds
Obliged to go into infected rooms
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Clean
(weightlifting) The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.
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Dirty
(of color) discolored by impurities; not bright and clear;
Dirty
A dirty (or dingy) white
The muddied gray of the sea
Muddy colors
Dirty-green walls
Dirty-blonde hair
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Clean
(transitive) To remove dirt from a place or object.
Can you clean the windows today?
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Clean
(transitive) To tidy up, make a place neat.
Clean your room right now!
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Clean
To remove equipment from a climbing route after it was previously lead climbed.
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Clean
(intransitive) To make things clean in general.
She just likes to clean. That’s why I married her.
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Dirty
Violating accepted standards or rules;
A dirty fighter
Used foul means to gain power
A nasty unsporting serve
Fined for unsportsmanlike behavior
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Dirty
Unethical or dishonest;
Dirty police officers
A sordid political campaign
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Clean
To brush the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep.
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Clean
To purge a raw of any blemishes caused by the scanning process such as brown tinting and poor color contrast.
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Dirty
Covered or marked with an unclean substance.
His shoes were dirty after the hike.
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Dirty
Not clean and carrying bacteria or germs.
Wash your hands if they are dirty.
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Clean
Fully and completely.
He was stabbed clean through.
You must be clean mad.
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Clean
Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects; as, clean land; clean timber.
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Clean
Free from awkwardness; not bungling; adroit; dexterous; as, a clean trick; a clean leap over a fence.
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Clean
Free from restraint or neglect; complete; entire.
When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.
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Clean
Free from moral defilement; sinless; pure.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
That I am whole, and clean, and meet for Heaven
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Clean
Free from that which is corrupting to the morals; pure in tone; healthy.
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Clean
Without limitation or remainder; quite; perfectly; wholly; entirely.
All the people were passed clean over Jordan.
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Clean
To render clean; to free from whatever is foul, offensive, or extraneous; to purify; to cleanse.
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Clean
A weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead
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Clean
Make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from;
Clean the stove!
The dentist cleaned my teeth
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Clean
Remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits;
Clean the turkey
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Clean
Clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing;
Clean up before you see your grandparents
Clean your fingernails before dinner
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Clean
Deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.;
The other players cleaned him completely
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Clean
Remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely;
The boys cleaned the sandwich platters
The trees were cleaned of apples by the storm
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Clean
Free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits;
Children with clean shining faces
Clean white shirts
Clean dishes
A spotlessly clean house
Cats are clean animals
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Clean
Free of restrictions or qualifications;
A clean bill of health
A clear winner
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Clean
(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims;
Efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings
Clear laughter like a waterfall
Clear reds and blues
A light lilting voice like a silver bell
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Clean
Not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination;
A clean fuel
Cleaner and more efficient engines
The tactical bomb is reasonably clean
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Clean
(of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers;
Good clean fun
A clean joke
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Clean
(of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections;
Fair copy
A clean manuscript
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Clean
Of a surface; not written or printed on;
Blank pages
Fill in the blank spaces
A clean page
Wide white margins
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Clean
Marked by or calling for sportsmanship or fair play;
A clean fight
A sporting solution of the disagreement
Sportsmanlike conduct
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Clean
Thorough and without qualification;
A clean getaway
A clean sweep
A clean break
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Clean
(of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense;
A clean voting recor
A clean driver's license
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Clean
Free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed;
He landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek
A clean throw
The neat exactness of the surgeon's knife
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Clean
Free of drugs;
After a long dependency on heroin she has been clean for 4 years
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Clean
Completely; used as intensifiers;
Clean forgot the appointment
I'm plumb (or plum) tuckered out
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Clean
In conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating;
They played fairly
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Clean
Simple and unadorned; neat.
The design of the house is clean and modern.
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Clean
Free from irregularities; smooth.
The artist's lines are clean and precise.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What does it mean for something to be clean?
It means being free from dirt, impurities, or unwanted substances.
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Is 'clean' only used literally?
No, it can be used both literally (physical cleanliness) and metaphorically (moral cleanliness).
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Can 'dirty' have moral connotations?
Yes, it can refer to unethical or immoral actions or behaviors.
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What does 'dirty' imply in a physical sense?
It implies being covered with or containing dirt, grime, or other unclean substances.
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How is 'clean' used in the context of energy?
It refers to energy sources that are environmentally friendly and produce minimal pollution.
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Can objects be both clean and dirty simultaneously?
Not in the same aspect; an object may have clean and dirty parts, but it can't be wholly both.
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Is 'dirty' always negative?
Generally, yes, though context can sometimes give it a neutral or humorous tone.
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Can 'clean' refer to ethical purity?
Yes, it can symbolize moral integrity or uprightness.
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Can 'clean' mean free of additives or chemicals?
Yes, especially in the context of food or products.
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Does 'dirty' always indicate physical dirt?
No, it can also refer to moral corruption or indecency.
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Do 'clean' and 'dirty' have the same intensity in meaning?
They are opposites, but context can affect the intensity of their meanings.
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What does a 'clean' design mean?
It means a design that is simple, uncluttered, and aesthetically pleasing.
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Can 'clean' be used in a technical context?
Yes, like in software development, it refers to neat and efficient coding.
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Does 'dirty' imply a need for cleaning?
Typically, yes, it suggests that cleaning or purification is needed.
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Are there degrees of cleanliness and dirtiness?
Yes, something can be slightly clean/dirty or extremely clean/dirty.
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Is 'clean' always desirable?
Generally, yes, especially in hygiene and aesthetics.
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Is 'clean' used in sports terminology?
Yes, it can mean playing by the rules and not cheating.
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Can 'dirty' refer to complex or convoluted situations?
Yes, especially when referring to politics or business dealings.
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Can 'dirty' have a positive connotation?
Rarely, though in some contexts, like certain types of work, it can imply thoroughness.
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Are 'clean' and 'dirty' culturally subjective?
Yes, perceptions of cleanliness and dirtiness can vary across cultures.
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Nov 19, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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