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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unkempt Wallace’s bob was poker-straight, whereas Emily’s unkempt, messy waves boast plenty of texture. Alice Cary, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2023 Armed patrols man the streets, where unkempt survivors take jobs burning the dead and cleaning up waste to scrape by. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2023 Oh, there's the unkempt west side near Red Bank Avenue, known as the Thickets, where those seeking or selling drugs can sometimes be found after dark, and where there's the occasional mugging, but the Thickets is only three acres of 740. Clark Collis, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023 His unkempt bedroom is nearly a deal-breaker, as are his clumsy attempts at foreplay. Peter Debruge, Variety, 21 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for unkempt 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unkempt
Adjective
  • The trail from the bay leading to the preserve’s entrance is rough, rocky and messy.
    Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
  • All of them fled Afghanistan with their families for Pakistan, sometime after the messy withdrawal of the U.S. military in 2021.
    Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Ekman-Larsson’s sloppy high-sticking penalty in the third led to a go-ahead goal, bringing the grade down a touch. D3 (Simon Benoit — Philippe Myers): C- After a strong effort on Thursday, this pair came back to earth on Saturday.
    Nick Ashbourne, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
  • But Klein notes that all the activity belies just how many of the new administration's most high-profile decisions have already been stymied by sloppy rollouts, gotten jammed up by the courts, or faced widespread condemnation by world leaders.
    Gene Demby, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • While the transfer was orderly – in contrast to chaotic scenes surrounding the release of Israeli and Thai hostages in Gaza last week – the three appeared thin and pale when they were led onto a makeshift stage.
    Sophie Tanno and Mick Krever, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
  • The week’s biggest stories A month after L.A. firestorms, essential questions still haunt Southern California The region is still grappling with basic questions about what caused the blazes, why evacuations were so chaotic and whether officials were prepared.
    Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The cropped black faux leather jacket has a shaggy, biscotti brown trim and sleeves.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025
  • The London Orbital Motorway, or the M25, is a vast ring road that runs in a shaggy circle around the outer edges of the capital.
    Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • King wrote the letter while spending several days in solitary confinement in a dark, filthy, jail cell with no mattress in Birmingham, Alabama.
    John Blake, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The government soldiers left behind a filthy jumble of army life: clothes, blankets, gas masks and helmets, and empty tin cans.
    Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Where Olive is messy, untidy, and unconcerned about the state of her apartment, Florence is obsessively clean, tidy, and obsessed with hygiene.
    Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Without easy access, harder to reach shelves can get overlooked (and become untidy).
    Jordan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • From there, the show spun outward, presenting a whole cast of shadowy doubles and mysteriously cosmic back doors—during which distance grew between us, the confused audience, and Laura’s death, which had kicked off the entire franchise.
    K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The bride was confused at this, and even more taken back by her hostility.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Corruption within the organization, after all, is as much a part of the show as Jackson Lamb’s slovenly habits and horrible diet.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near unkempt

Cite this Entry

“Unkempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unkempt. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

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