unkempt

adjective

un·​kempt ˌən-ˈkem(p)t 

1

: not combed

unkempt hair

2

: deficient in order or neatness

unkempt individuals

unkempt hotel rooms

also : rough, unpolished

unkempt prose

Synonyms

• chaotic
• cluttered
• confused
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• disheveled
• dishevelled
• disordered
• disorderly
• higgledy-piggledy
• hugger-mugger
• jumbled
• littered
• messed
• messy
• muddled
• mussed
• mussy
• pell-mell
• rumpled
• sloppy
• topsy-turvy
• tousled
• tumbled
• untidy
• upside-down

Examples of unkempt in a Sentence

She wore rumpled clothing and her hair was unkempt.

an unkempt and cluttered room

Recent Examples on the Web

But, as in these United States, the key question remains whether creeping totalitarianism — from the left and the right — will squeeze everyday people out of their inalienable right to just be their sometimes obnoxious, unkempt, idiosyncratic selves. —Ed Wallace, New York Daily News, 6 June 2024

Weeds can take over in a hurry, choking out lawns and gardens and making landscapes look unkempt. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 12 July 2023

Some lawns are manicured while others are unkempt. —Dallas News, 20 Dec. 2022

Wallace’s bob was poker-straight, whereas Emily’s unkempt, messy waves boast plenty of texture. —Alice Cary, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English unkemd, unkempt, from un- + kembed, kempt, past participle of kemben to comb, from Old English cemban; akin to Old High German chempen to comb, Old English camb comb — more at comb

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

unkempt

adjective

un·​kempt ˌən-ˈkem(p)t 

1

: not combed

2

: lacking in order or neatness : untidy