Meaning & use

kempt

adjective·Advanced

Neat, clean, and well cared for in appearance; tidy.

See it in a sentence

His kempt appearance surprised colleagues used to seeing him disheveled after long shifts.

The garden looked remarkably kempt for a house that had been empty all winter.

A note on using this word

Kempt is a rare back-formation from 'unkempt' and sounds noticeably more old-fashioned or formal than everyday words like 'neat' or 'tidy'.

Words with a similar meaning

neattidygroomed

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

unkemptdisheveled

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “kempt”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.