not dirty or messy: Are your hands clean? Let me get you a clean towel.
►spotless
completely clean with no dirt or dirty marks: Her kitchen is always spotless.
►immaculate
formal so clean and neat that something seems perfect: The house was immaculate when the guests started to arrive.
►pristine
formal completely clean and not damaged at all, as if something has never been used: The beaches on the island are still pristine.
►hygienic
clean, so that people will not get diseases: The cows must be milked in hygienic conditions for the milk to be sold.
►sanitary
clean and not likely to cause diseases, especially diseases caused by body waste: It was a cheap motel, but at least the bathroom seemed sanitary.
►sterile
completely clean and having no bacteria in a way that is safe to use in medicine or science: The nurse put a sterile bandage on the wound.
1science, biology completely clean and not containing any bacteria: a sterile laboratory► see thesaurus at clean12science, biology not able to produce babiesSYN infertileOPP fertile: The operation left her sterile.3a sterile building, room, place, etc. is not interesting, exciting, or attractive and does not make you feel comfortable4lacking new ideas or imagination: a sterile debate5science, biology sterile land cannot be used for growing cropsOPP fertile—sterility /stəˈrɪlət̮i/ noun [uncountable]