(尤指头发、衣着)不整洁的,蓬乱的;邋遢的。常带有“缺乏打理、略显狼狈”的语气。
/ʌnˈkɛmpt/
His hair was unkempt after the long flight.
长途飞行后,他的头发变得很蓬乱。
In the dim light, the unkempt room—with clothes piled on the chair and papers scattered across the floor—made her feel instantly overwhelmed.
在昏暗的灯光下,那间凌乱不堪的房间——椅子上堆着衣服,地板上散落着纸张——让她立刻感到不堪重负。
由否定前缀 un-(“不、非”)+ kempt 构成;kempt 来自古英语相关词根,意为“梳理整齐的”(与 comb “梳子/梳理”同源)。有趣的是,现代英语里 kempt 相对少见,而 unkempt 更常用,属于“否定形式比肯定形式更常见”的词汇现象之一。