Standard Lemma guide

unkempt

adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ˌʌnˈkɛmpt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛmpt
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N K EH1 M P T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

uncombed, dishevelled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dishevelled, slovenly, ragged

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Disorderly; untidy; messy; not kept up.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

Examples

  • unkempt bedroom

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Rough; unpolished.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

not properly maintained or cared for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an unkempt garden
  • native vistas and unkempt rambling paths
  • an ukempt appearance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not neatly combed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • wild unkempt hair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From earlier unkembed, unkemmed, from Middle English unkempt (“uncombed”), equivalent to un- + kempt. Compare Old Norse úkembdr (uncombed; unkempt"; whence Icelandic ókembdur), German ungekämmt (“unkempt”), Dutch ongekamd. More at kemb.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: рошав (rošav) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Bulgarian: несресан (nesresan) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不修邊幅 /不修边幅 (bùxiūbiānfú) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 邋遢 (lāta) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Czech: neupravený — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Czech: zanedbaný — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Czech: neudržovaný — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Czech: neučesaný — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Czech: rozcuchaný — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Dutch: slordig — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Dutch: onverzorgd — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Finnish: ruokkoamaton — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Finnish: hoitamaton — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • French: ébouriffé — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Galician: desaliñado — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Georgian: მოუვლელი (mouvleli) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Georgian: მოუწესრიგებელი (mouc̣esrigebeli) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Georgian: უსუფთაო (usuptao) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: schäbig — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: struppig — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: ungepflegt — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: ungekämmt — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: ungemacht — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • German: unaufgeräumt — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Greek: απεριποίητος (aperipoíitos) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Italian: scompigliato — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Latin: incomptus — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Macedonian: ро́шав (róšav) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Macedonian: ра́сфрлен (rásfrlen) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: puhirua — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: uarapa — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: pūhutihuti — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: hīwanawana — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: paranokenoke — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Māori: kōritorito — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Norman: crîngneux — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Portuguese: desgrenhado — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: неря́шливый (nerjášlivyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: неопря́тный (neoprjátnyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: нечёсаный (nečósanyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: взъеро́шенный (vzʺjeróšennyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: растрёпанный (rastrjópannyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Russian: всклоко́ченный (vsklokóčennyj) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Spanish: desaliñado — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Spanish: despeinado — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Spanish: desprolijo — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Tày: bông — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Turkish: bakımsız — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Turkish: dağınık — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Turkish: pejmürde — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Ottoman Turkish: پنتی (pinti) — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Unami: wiàkskinakwsi — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up
  • Vietnamese: bù xù — dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up