A Word A Day : Unkempt




Thursday, 31st January 2008 : Today's Word is ...

Unkempt



( Adjective )



Pronunciation : un-kémpt


1. Not properly maintained

2. tangled and matted and in need of combing or grooming

3. messy or disorderly as a result of neglect

4. lacking in polish or elegance

5. Not combed


Etymology:


14th century - un + kempt, past participle of kemb - comb - Old English cemban - Germanic


Synonyms:


bedraggled, disheveled, untidy, messy, scruffy, grubby, wild, tousled, ruffled, unruly, frowzy, frayed, shabby, frazzled, slovenly, rumpled, disorganized

NOTE:

Disorganized means not properly planned and controlled and (of a person) unable to plan one's activities efficiently.

Unorganized means not organized.


Antonyms:


kempt, neat, tidy, trim, combed, smart


Contextual Examples:


• At the worst, a house unkempt cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.

• The arena was immense but extremely uneven and unkempt.

• All three were equally new, but numbers one and two were curtained and sedate, with a human, sociable look to them; While number three, with yawning door and unkempt garden, had apparently only just received its furniture and made itself ready for its occupants.


Related Words:



unkemptness : Noun


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