To save this word, you'll need to log in.
un·kept | \ ˌən-ˈkept 
\
\Definition of unkept
: not kept an unkept promise an unkept garden
Examples of unkept in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web For many, the promises of airline reservations made but unkept, cost them thousands and upended Christmas travel plans.
—
Washington Post, "She was ordered to repay victims she scammed as a travel agent. She then scammed new victims to pay back the old ones, prosecutors said.," 24 Dec. 2019 But unkept promises and scandal have blunted the telegenic Liberal leader’s prospects.
—
Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, "Trudeau and Scheer in tight race as Canadians cast ballots," 21 Oct. 2019 Many slaves were forced to fight on both sides with the unkept promise of freedom.
—
Nina Strochlic, National Geographic, "How slavery flourished in the United States," 23 Aug. 2019 On Vogue’s September cover, Queen B has traded a traditional garland for a crown of wild, unkept blooms.
—
Steff Yotka, Vogue, "In Honor of Beyoncé’s September Cover, the Best Floral Headpieces on the Runway," 7 Aug. 2018 The wilderness looks unkept and threatening, but seethes with life.
—
Holland Cotter, New York Times, "Thomas Cole, American Moralist," 15 Mar. 2018 Alleys, including the one where the Saturday display was held, often are neglected, unkept and dirty.
—
Gary Warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Display shows how alleys could become lively, safe places," 17 Feb. 2018 Investors started to lose patience with Tesla this week after another unkept promise.
—
Charley Grant, WSJ, "Reality Bites for Tesla Shares," 5 July 2017 But there’s only one thing worse than promises unkept – that’s promises kept.
—
Dannye Romine Powell, charlotteobserver, "Book editor Powell describes Harper Lee’s hometown – in 1977," 7 May 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unkept.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on unkept
What made you want to look up unkept? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
May 2020 Words of the Day Quiz
- Which is a synonym of exiguous?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share unkept
Time Traveler for unkept
The first known use of unkept was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century