adj
unkempt
Unkempt (adj) means (of hair) Not combed, and looking messy.
adj
1
(of hair) Not combed, and looking messy.
"He was a queer shoot, again, in his unkempt longish hair and slovenly clothes, a sort of very vulgar down-at-heel American in appearance."
— David Herbert Lawrence, John (1916)
"Now, upon his whole person, from the crown of his unkempt head down to his broken, dusty boots, there yet clung that air of jaunty, devil-may-care rakishness."
— Jeffery Farnol (1910)
2
Untidy and not looked after properly.
3
Lacking refinement or polish.
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Etymology
This word goes back to earlier forms unkembed and unkemmed, from Middle English unkempt (“uncombed”), equivalent to un- + kempt. Compare Old Norse úkembdr (“uncombed; unkempt”; whence Icelandic ókembdur), German ungekämmt (“unkempt”) and Dutch ongekamd. See also kemb.
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of unkempt?
"unkempt" (adj) means (of hair) Not combed, and looking messy.
What is the opposite of unkempt?
Opposites of "unkempt" include kempt, tidy, neat, orderly.
What are the different meanings of unkempt?
"unkempt" has 3 main meanings: 1. (of hair) Not combed, and looking messy; 2. Untidy and not looked after properly; 3. Lacking refinement or polish.
