What does cleansing mean?
Word: Cleansing
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Cleansing means making something or someone thoroughly clean; used of skin, wounds, water and sometimes of the mind, as in a cleansing walk.
Synonyms: cleaning, washing, purifying
Antonyms: soiling, polluting
Word origin: Comes from Old English claensian, 'to make clean', from claene, 'clean'.
How do you spell cleansing?
Syllables: cleans - ing
Tricky part: The s in the middle is said like a z, but it is spelt with an s, so clenzing and cleanzing are wrong.
Watch out for: clenzing, cleanzing, klensing
Memory tip: Something cleansed is spotless, and spotless has an s: there is no z anywhere in cleansing.
Cleansing in a sentence
Example 1: The nurse used a cleansing wipe on the cut before putting on the bandage.
Example 2: After the exam, a long walk in Lodhi Garden felt cleansing.
Example 3: Mum keeps a bottle of cleansing lotion on the shelf next to her comb.
Fun Fact
Cleansing milk, a lotion for taking off make-up and dirt, has nothing to do with dairy: it is named for its thick, milky look.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
The skin doctor said that a gentle clensing routine would soothe my cheeks within a week.
a) to make something less painful
b) the sides of the face below the eyes
c) taking away all the dirt from something
d) a regular way of doing things
Show answer
c) taking away all the dirt from something. Clensing has lost the a: cleansing keeps all of clean at the front.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) squeezing
b) cleanseing
c) issuing
d) bruising
Show answer
b) cleanseing. Cleanse drops its final e before -ing, just as bruise does in bruising.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. A cleansing lotion removes dirt and oil from the skin. 2. A detergent is used for washing clothes and dishes. 3. Bleach is used to add colour to white clothes.
a) only 3 is true
b) all three are true
c) only 1 and 2 are true
d) only 2 and 3 are true
Show answer
c) only 1 and 2 are true. Bleach takes colour out and whitens; it does not add colour, so statement 3 is false.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) cleansing
b) disinfectant
c) hygeine
d) antiseptic
Show answer
c) hygeine. Hygiene follows i before e: after the g comes i, then e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. After a long, hot day at a dusty cricket ground, which would feel most cleansing?
a) a ride home on a crowded bus
b) an hour of loud music
c) a cool shower and fresh clothes
d) a plate of spicy chaat
Show answer
c) a cool shower and fresh clothes
2. A walk that feels cleansing leaves you ___.
a) calm and refreshed
b) tired and cross
c) hungry and bored
d) dusty and hot
Show answer
a) calm and refreshed
