ill-kempt C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˌɪlˈkɛmpt/ UK /ˌɪlˈkɛmpt/ See IPA manual Freq #967831 Meanings 1 adj untidy, poorly groomed, or disheveled in appearance An ill-kempt traveler in a stained coat waited by the stable. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · untidy, poorly groomed, or... unkemptdisheveledscruffy ↔ Opposites well-groomedneattidy Word family Related forms kemptcomb Etymology Formed from ill + kempt, the old past participle of kemb, 'to comb.' It therefore meant literally 'badly combed' before broadening to an untidy or poorly groomed appearance. Topics Describing People External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ill-kempt **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˌɪlˈkɛmpt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌɪlˈkɛmpt/ **Frequency rank:** 967831 ## Meanings 1. untidy, poorly groomed, or disheveled in appearance ## Examples - An ill-kempt traveler in a stained coat waited by the stable. ## Synonyms - unkempt - disheveled - scruffy ## Antonyms - well-groomed - neat - tidy ## Related Forms - kempt - comb ## Etymology Formed from ill + kempt, the old past participle of kemb, 'to comb.' It therefore meant literally 'badly combed' before broadening to an untidy or poorly groomed appearance. ## Topics - Describing People markdown