as in tidy
being clean and in good order
a distinguished-looking gentleman with a kempt beard and an old-world manner
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Recent Examples of kempt
The creeping ivy of rap had crawled over their white picket fences, across their kempt green lawns, and around their Victorian homes, weakening the old walls between cultures.
—
Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023
The whole place is well kempt.
—Amanda Walker, al, 15 Aug. 2020
There was a whiff of mystery, a sense that something more was going on behind those well-kempt exteriors.
—Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 9 Feb. 2018
Silence your internal neat freak A well-kempt garden is the toad’s worst enemy.
—Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2017
A well-kempt courtyard for visitors conceals the prison’s overcrowding—stuffed to nine times its capacity with up to 250 women sharing a cell.
—National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2016
Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023
The whole place is well kempt.
—Amanda Walker, al, 15 Aug. 2020
There was a whiff of mystery, a sense that something more was going on behind those well-kempt exteriors.
—Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 9 Feb. 2018
Silence your internal neat freak A well-kempt garden is the toad’s worst enemy.
—Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2017
A well-kempt courtyard for visitors conceals the prison’s overcrowding—stuffed to nine times its capacity with up to 250 women sharing a cell.
—National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kempt
Adjective
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Instead, try one of these easy and inexpensive organizing techniques to keep your stash tidy.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Jan. 2026
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Asking him to run nearly every weekend in tidy little circles may have been a stretch.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Firmly drag a squeegee across the carpet to collect hair into neat piles.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Jan. 2026
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One common misconception about confronting a difficult mother-in-law is the expectation of a neat, emotionally satisfying resolution—which, in complicated family dynamics, is rare.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While Biber meticulously restored the original pine floors, plasterwork, trim, and central stair, nearly everything else was modernized behind the scenes.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Jan. 2026
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Doing so will protect your trim, paint, and even nearby drywall from mold growth and moisture damage.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kempt. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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