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kempt

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Neatly combed or tidy—implying orderliness, sometimes contrasted with “unkempt” in descriptive or symbolic verse.

Detailed Definition
“Kempt” describes careful grooming, often contrasted with “unkempt.” In poetry, it signifies order, readiness, or social conformity. The term’s softness suits domestic or amorous scenes. Poets use it to reveal character through appearance—kempt hair reflecting inner discipline or performative decorum in narratives of courtship, class, or self-presentation.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Her hair was neatly kempt, her gown plain,” in a modest portrait; In contrast: “His locks were unkempt, wild as his thoughts”; “Kempt or unkempt, her soul was fair,” a moral assertion; “The garden, though small, was always kempt,” symbolizing order; “Kempt for court, yet wild at heart,” a paradoxical character; The saint’s cell was spare but kempt.
Additional Notes
“Kempt” (opposite of “unkempt”) implies deliberate neatness; though rare, it appears in descriptive verse to signal control, civility, or vanity, often contrasting wild nature or madness with ordered appearance.
Also Known As
combed neat tidy
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