neat; tidy; well-groomed
Origin of kempt
ME, combed: in mod. use, back-formation from unkempt
A well kempt kitchen.
The definition of kempt is someone or something which is neat and tidy.
An example of kempt used as an adjective is a kempt kitchen which is a clean kitchen.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"kempt." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt>.
APA Style
kempt. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt
kempt
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"kempt." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt>.
APA Style
kempt. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt
kempt
adjective
Tidy; trim: a nicely kempt beard.
Origin of kempt
Back-formation from unkemptTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"kempt." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt>.
APA Style
kempt. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt
Usage notes
Less common than unkempt. Often used in compound well-kempt or phrase “well kempt”, which may be criticized as redundant; compare well-groomed.
Origin
Originally a past participle of Old English cemban (“to comb”). Modern uses are back-formations from the negative unkempt.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"kempt." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt>.
APA Style
kempt. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kempt
Sentence Examples
- Reconciling your desire to look stylish and collate a collection of clothes that will serve you well through your life's ups and downs with the need to look well kempt can often be challenging.