unkempt
Americanadjective
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not combed.
unkempt hair.
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uncared-for or neglected; disheveled; messy.
unkempt clothes; an unkempt lawn.
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unpolished; rough; crude.
adjective
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(of the hair) uncombed; dishevelled
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ungroomed; slovenly
unkempt appearance
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archaic crude or coarse
Other Word Forms
- unkemptly adverb
- unkemptness noun
Etymology
Origin of unkempt
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The poet appealed to Hallam’s imaginative depths, and Hallam brought the unkempt and solitary Tennyson into the world of the elite and affluent.
In it, he played a nerdy, unkempt co-founder who gets left behind when the business takes off.
His bright orange beard is unkempt and hangs halfway down his chest.
From Literature
On an unkempt lawn, red lanterns sway above a modest Chinese New Year celebration - a small but telling detail in a country where Beijing and Delhi are both vying hard for influence.
From BBC
"Because I can't style my hair the way I want, I end up thinking I look unkempt and unattractive, and that has seriously eroded my confidence."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
