adj

kempt

Quiz me More like this

Kempt (adj) means Describes hair or a beard that has been combed neatly.

adj

Describes hair or a beard that has been combed neatly.

"For a moment Boshy thought his senses were playing up with him, for there in the door entrance stood the identical girl—the same turkey-egg complexion, stubby nose, and her red hair only changed from unkempt to kempt." — Barbara Baynton, Human Toll: Chapter 6 (1907)

Describes wool or another fibre that has been combed.

Tidy and well-groomed.

"The street paving was badly worn, but looked marvelously smooth and kempt to Winterbourne, accustomed to roads worn into deep ruts and reft with shell-holes." — Richard Aldington (1929)

"He could see her now: middle-aged, gray hair, well kempt, European-looking." — Michael Blodgett, Meadowbrook (1982)

Vocabulary Flow

Build your vocabulary from words like kempt.

Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.

Start vocabulary practice

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

Test yourself on “kempt” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Etymology

Partly from both of the following: * An adjective use of kempt, the past participle of kemb (“(obsolete except UK, dialectal) to comb”), from Middle English kemben (“to comb (oneself or someone, or something); to card (wool, etc.); to make (something) elegant or smooth; (figurative) to make (something) gentle”) (compare the past participle forms kempde, kempte), from Old English cemban (“to comb”) from Proto-West Germanic *kambijan (“to comb, kemb”), from Proto-Germanic *kambijaną (“to comb, kemb”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth; row of teeth”), from *ǵembʰ- (“to bite, chomp; to crunch”). * A back-formation from unkempt.

Synonyms

View more →

tidy

Antonyms

unkempt messy untidy cluttered disorderly

Related words

ordered organized tight organize neat messy timely chaotic

Rhymes for kempt

tempt prompt

See all rhymes for kempt →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of kempt?

"kempt" (adj) means describes hair or a beard that has been combed neatly.

What is another word for kempt?

Other words for "kempt" include tidy.

What is the opposite of kempt?

Opposites of "kempt" include unkempt, messy, untidy, cluttered, disorderly.

What are the different meanings of kempt?

"kempt" has 3 main meanings: 1. Describes hair or a beard that has been combed neatly; 2. Describes wool or another fibre that has been combed; 3. Tidy and well-groomed.

People also searched

ordered organized tight organize neat messy timely chaotic