Meaning & use
cleansed
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“cleansed” is a form of “cleanse”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Made something thoroughly clean, especially skin, a wound or a surface, using a special product or treatment.
Grammar: Takes an object: she cleansed the cut with salt water.
Patterns
- cleansed something with something
- cleansed something of something
The nurse cleansed the wound before she put on a bandage.
She cleansed her face with warm water and a gentle lotion.
The workers cleansed the pool of leaves and dirt.
verbtransitiveformalfigurative
Freed someone or something from guilt, sin, dirt or an unwanted influence in a deep or symbolic way.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with of: cleansed of all suspicion.
Patterns
- cleansed of something
- cleansed someone of something
He felt cleansed of guilt after he told the truth.
The festival ritual cleansed the village of bad luck.
The investigation cleansed the company of any suspicion.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having been made thoroughly clean or purified.
Grammar: Also after a verb: her skin felt cleansed.
Patterns
- cleansed of something
Her cleansed skin looked bright and fresh.
The cleansed wound healed within days.
After the long walk by the sea, he felt cleansed and calm.
Common combinations
- cleansed of guilt
- She felt cleansed of guilt after she apologized.
- cleansed the wound
- A medic cleansed the wound carefully.
- cleansed the skin
- He cleansed the skin before applying cream.
- thoroughly cleansed
- The tools must be thoroughly cleansed.
- cleansed of suspicion
- The mayor was cleansed of suspicion by the audit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- washed
- Washed is the ordinary word using water, while cleansed suggests a special product, a medical need, or a deeper effect.
- purified
- Purified means removing impurities completely, usually from liquids, air or the spirit, and is stronger than cleansed.
- disinfected
- Disinfected means killing germs specifically, whereas cleansed may only mean removing dirt.
- scrubbed
- Scrubbed involves rubbing hard, which is not implied by cleansed.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: cleansed or cleaned? cleansed or cleanly?
cleansed vs cleaned
Cleaned is the usual everyday word for removing dirt, while cleansed sounds more careful, medical or symbolic.
cleansed vs cleanly
Cleanly is an adverb meaning in a neat way, and is a different word from the verb form cleansed.
Practice
After the argument was settled, he felt ____ of all the anger he had been holding.
Choose one answer.
Cleansed of is the usual figurative pattern for being freed of a feeling or guilt. Cleaned of is possible for dirt but sounds odd for anger.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cleansed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.