unkept

U1N1K5E1P3T1

adjective

Not kept (especially of promises).

Similar
broken
OriginEnglish kept ← Middle English un- ← Old English un- →
RareScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

unkept1

adjectiveunkept (not comparable)
  1. not comparableNot kept (especially of promises).
  2. not comparableNot well-cared for, not well-kept, not tidy or well-maintained

unkept2

adjective
  1. misspellingMisspelling of unkempt.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjective(especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded

Similar
broken
Also see
broken

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

unkept · adjective

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishkept
  9. Englishunkept

From un- + kept.

Full word history & related roots →

unkept · adjective

Reanalysis of obsolete kempt to kept, keep in the sense “maintain (a coiffure)”. Compare uncombed.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unkept. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unkept

MLA

“unkept.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unkept. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unkept,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unkept.

Source: unkept on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.