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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unkempt
The dog is too thin, his fur is unkempt, and to top it all off, his owner leaves him outside all year round.
—
Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Towering at seven feet, with unblinking googly eyes, a shaggy blaze of orange fur and a gloriously unkempt beard, Gritty looks like pure chaos brought to life.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Clothes that don’t fit well tend to lose their shape, making the rest of your outfit feel unkempt by midday.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Over time, the unoccupied and unkempt property — from deteriorating exteriors to overgrown yards — can create issues within the existing community.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unkempt
Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Towering at seven feet, with unblinking googly eyes, a shaggy blaze of orange fur and a gloriously unkempt beard, Gritty looks like pure chaos brought to life.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Clothes that don’t fit well tend to lose their shape, making the rest of your outfit feel unkempt by midday.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Over time, the unoccupied and unkempt property — from deteriorating exteriors to overgrown yards — can create issues within the existing community.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unkempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unkempt
Adjective
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When actually the true version of ourselves is kind of messy, chaotic and vulnerable.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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In its equilibrium, a good tomato sandwich is juicy and unctuous and appropriately messy, which is praise all too often reserved for hot sandwiches like cheesesteaks or patty melts.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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San Antonio made nine of its first 11 shots, with the Knicks and their fans frustrated by the referees and the home team’s sloppy play, and led 33-22 after one.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Later in 2025 Blanche oversaw the release of documents as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which drew criticism from Epstein survivors as being slow, sloppy, and incomplete.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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His distinct sensibility — by turns theatrical, ironic, chaotic, heartfelt — was native to the Internet.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 June 2026
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The media newsletters and trades have written up transcripts of chaotic meetings and tracked Weiss and new 60 Minutes chief Nick Bilton’s daily movements, while the Times has sent multiple push alerts to millions of readers for stories about the chaos inside CBS.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Last Wednesday, the hotel was swarmed with guys sporting shaggy haircuts, all looking like Geese frontman Cameron Winter.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
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On June 5, Hadid debuted a set of shaggy Birkin bangs on Instagram, as well as a surprising new golden-brown hair color.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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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
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Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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For example, the prescription offered by those who saw a generally healthy way of life as the right way to prevent disease helped propel cleaning up the filthy cities of the Industrial Revolution—and that really did reduce the impact of common fevers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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On the other hand, the cloth seats in many buses are filthy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
In the living room, a pilot rearranges an untidy study desk.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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An untidy pile of chicken eyeballs on a slab, one of them gazing directly at us, is a vignette from a butcher’s shop—and also an echo of the horrific eye injuries inflicted on Kashmiri protestors by the police’s metal-pellet shotguns.—
Samanth Subramanian,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unkempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unkempt. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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