Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
unkept

unkept

1 6.9
Promises or agreements that someone does not follow
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈkɛpt/
translation icon : incumplido
  • Saying "I promise" makes the promise, and we can deal appropriately with kept or unkept promises without lapsing into discussions of the will.
  • unkept promises

Examples

  • Voters expressed frustration over the unkept promises made during the election campaign.

  • Remind them of all the unkept promises.

    Blog text (10)

  • So a lot of drama in life is caused because we have unclear and unkept agreements.

  • The consequences were tragic: broken marriages, unkept promises to brothers, no good-bye to parents.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Residents are angered by raised expectations followed by unkept promises (Shonder and Melnyk 1997).

    Academic text (1998)

  • The community was disappointed by the mayor's unkept promises regarding the new park.

  • She felt betrayed by his unkept promises to be more involved in their relationship.

Synonyms

broken
vsunkept
10 2.4

Not kept or not done as promised

is identical in meaning and use without adding extra nuance
unfulfilled
vsunkept
4 4.4

Not completed, for example an order not yet sent to a customer

implies a deliberate failure to honor or actively disregard agreements
unexecuted
vsunkept
  • Formal
6.5

Not carried out or finished, for example a contract not signed

focuses on a breach or active disregard rather than mere lack of legal effect
unperformed
vsunkept
6.0

Not done or carried out, often not shown to people

applies to promises or contracts being violated rather than simple nonperformance

Antonyms

kept
1.8

A promise or agreement that someone does not break

fulfilled
3.4

Having completed a plan or goal to a high standard

How Kept

honored
  • Formal
8 3.3
kept
1.8
unfulfilled
4 4.4
unkept
1 6.9
broken
10 2.4

Surface Forms

unkept positive

Morphology

unkept = kept (transparent) = un + kept

The adjective is formed by adding negative prefix 'un-' to the past participle 'kept', so its meaning is directly inferable from 'keep' + 'un-'.

Etymology

Unkept is made of un- 'not' and keep 'to hold or take care of'. So unkept describes something not kept, like a promise not kept or a room not kept tidy.