unkempt.

Untidy or poorly cared for, especially in hair, clothing, or surroundings.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• unkempt hair
• unkempt garden

On the page

An unkempt hedge pressed against the peeling gate.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more unkempt; superlative most unkempt when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.