unkempt

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ʌnˈkɛmpt/ UK /ʌnˈkɛmpt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
untidy or disheveled in appearance

His unkempt hair suggested a sleepless night.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · untidy or disheveled in... disheveleduntidy messytousledbedraggledscruffyslovenly

Opposites

kempttidy neat groomedwell-kept

Word family

Related forms kemptcombunkemptness

Etymology

From un- ('not') + kempt, archaic past participle of kemb ('to comb'), from Old English cemban ('to comb'), from camb ('comb').

un- Old English cemban Old English *kambaz Proto-Germanic *ǵómbʰos Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# unkempt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈkɛmpt/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈkɛmpt/

## Meanings
1. untidy or disheveled in appearance

## Examples
- His unkempt hair suggested a sleepless night.

## Synonyms
- disheveled
- untidy
- messy
- tousled
- bedraggled
- scruffy
- slovenly

## Antonyms
- kempt
- tidy
- neat
- groomed
- well-kept

## Related Forms
- kempt
- comb
- unkemptness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: cemban
- Root: *kambaz
- Root: *ǵómbʰos

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + kempt, archaic past participle of kemb ('to comb'), from Old English cemban ('to comb'), from camb ('comb').

## AI Etymology
Unkempt is from un- ('not') + kempt, archaic past participle of kemb ('to comb'), from Old English cemban ('to comb'), from camb ('comb'). Important recorded forms include un- (Old English), cemban (Old English), *kambaz (Proto-Germanic), and *ǵómbʰos (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers untidy or disheveled in appearance. The wider family includes related words such as kempt, comb, and unkemptness.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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unkempt

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