unkempt

English

Alternative forms

• uncompt (obsolete)

Etymology

From earlier unkembed, unkemmed, from Middle English unkempt (“uncombed”), equivalent to un- +‎ kempt. Compare Old Norse úkembdr (uncombed; unkempt"; > Icelandic ókembdur), German ungekämmt (“unkempt”), Dutch ongekamd. More at kemb.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌʌnˈkɛmpt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmpt
• Hyphenation: un‧kempt

Adjective

unkempt (comparative more unkempt, superlative most unkempt)

1. (of hair) Uncombed; dishevelled.
   • 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 289:

     Men on cycles, lean-faced, unkempt, scorched along every country lane, shouting of unhoped deliverance, shouting to gaunt, staring figures of despair.

2. (by extension) Disorderly; untidy; messy; not kept up.

   unkempt bedroom

3. (figurative) Rough; unpolished

Synonyms

• dishevelled
• slovenly

Translations

dishevelled; untidy; dirty; not kept up

• Bulgarian: рошав (bg) (rošav), несресан (bg) (nesresan)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不修邊幅／不修边幅 (zh) (bùxiūbiānfú)

• Dutch: slordig (nl), onverzorgd (nl)
• Finnish: ruokkoamaton (fi), hoitamaton (fi)
• French: (talking about hair) ébouriffé (fr) m
• Galician: desaliñado m
• Georgian: მოუვლელი (mouvleli), მოუწესრიგებელი (mouc̣esrigebeli), უსუფთაო (usuptao)
• German: schäbig (de), struppig (de), ungepflegt (de), ungekämmt (de)
• Greek: απεριποίητος (el) m (aperipoíitos)
• Italian: scompigliato (it) m
• Latin: incomptus
• Macedonian: ро́шав (róšav), ра́сфрлен (rásfrlen)
• Maori: puhirua, uarapa, pūhutihuti, hīwanawana (of hair), paranokenoke, kōritorito
• Norman: crîngneux
• Portuguese: desgrenhado (pt)
• Russian: неря́шливый (ru) (nerjášlivyj), неопря́тный (ru) (neoprjátnyj), (of hair) нечёсаный (ru) (nečósanyj), (of hair) взъеро́шенный (ru) (vzʺjeróšennyj), растрёпанный (ru) (rastrjópannyj), всклоко́ченный (ru) (vsklokóčennyj)
• Spanish: desaliñado (es), despeinado (es)
• Turkish: bakımsız (tr), dağınık (tr), pejmürde (tr)
• Tày: bông
• Vietnamese: bù xù (vi)

References

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Uncompt”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volumes X, Part 1 (Ti–U), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 95, column 1.