unkempt

[ uhn-kempt ]
See synonyms for unkempt on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not combed: unkempt hair.

  2. uncared-for or neglected; disheveled; messy: unkempt clothes; an unkempt lawn.

  1. unpolished; rough; crude.

Origin of unkempt

1
1590–1600; variant of unkembed;see un-1, kempt

Other words from unkempt

  • un·kempt·ly, adverb
  • un·kempt·ness, noun

Words Nearby unkempt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unkempt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unkempt

unkempt

/ (ʌnˈkɛmpt) /


adjective
  1. (of the hair) uncombed; dishevelled

  2. ungroomed; slovenly: unkempt appearance

  1. archaic crude or coarse

Origin of unkempt

1
Old English uncembed; from un- 1 + cembed, past participle of cemban to comb; related to Old Saxon kembian, Old High German kemben to comb

Derived forms of unkempt

  • unkemptly, adverb
  • unkemptness, noun

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