unkempt

adjective

ˌən-ˈkem(p)t How to pronounce unkempt (audio)
Definition of unkemptnext
1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness an unkempt and cluttered room

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person the stereotype of the unkempt but brilliant scientist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unkempt His voice is raspy, and the once-cleanly cut soul patch that defined his look is scraggly and unkempt. — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Just across the sidewalk from the West Martello Tower, a Civil War-era fort where the Garden Club is housed, lies an unkempt field of grass, worn out by dehydration and footsteps. — Oliver Wu, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026 Beneath Lamb’s unkempt appearance, crude manners, noxious flatulence, and stinging remarks lies one of the sharpest minds in MI5 and a man fiercely protective of his brood of misfits. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 Also in July, following a tenant’s eviction, the NYPD and ASPCA discovered nine dead cats inside the filthy, unkempt Queens apartment. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unkempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unkempt
  1. messy
  2. sloppy
  3. chaotic
  4. shaggy
  5. littered
  6. wrinkled
  7. filthy
  8. untidy
Adjective
  • Impact Backers say Measure E would clean up those messy governmental issues.
    — Times staff, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • They are retained here as if to underscore the messy peculiarity of the world left behind.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Utah's most successful drive ended at the halftime break when Dillon Curtis missed a 34-yard field goalie to a sloppy snap-and-hold.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • And the need to blend all the sound together right before the ear canal can make the more complex instrumentation sound more sloppy than precise.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • The tightness of White’s control over his arrangements can occasionally foreclose the sense of chaotic freedom inherent to his more collaborative efforts.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Now that Texas Tech has also suffered a conference loss, we are headed towards a wild final week of October, which will lead to a chaotic month of November as teams fight for a spot in the college football playoff.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • A bit later, a shaggy-haired knight would win the final competition, beat his chest, and throw a triumphant fist in the air as his section screamed for him.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Barring some sort of unforeseen cataclysm, Inevitability has reared its great, shaggy head.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.
    — Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.
    — Scarlett Harris, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Definition of littered
Adjective
  • Participants with wet but non-wrinkled fingers required significantly more force to maintain the same hold; their hands were working harder to do less.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of wrinkled
Adjective
  • Everybody wants to bring back trip-hop, but no one remembers how filthy Dummy actually sounds.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When the drop comes in, there’s this really filthy synth bass.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • At some point, your device will need to be charged, but the one thing that can quickly make a space look untidy is messy cable management.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Pakistan was untidy in the field too with Sharma getting dropped twice and he should have been run-out before completing his half-century, while captain Shreyas Iyer also got a life when Ayub missed out his second catch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of untidy

Browse Nearby Words

unjustness
unkempt
unkept
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Cite this Entry

“Unkempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unkempt. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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