WELL-KEPT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does well-kept mean? 

• WELL-KEPT (adjective)
  The adjective WELL-KEPT has 2 senses:

1. kept in good condition

2. of places; characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder

  Familiarity information: WELL-KEPT used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WELL-KEPT (adjective)

Comparative: better-kept   
Superlative: best-kept   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Kept in good condition

Synonyms:

kept up; maintained; well-kept

Similar:

preserved (kept intact or in a particular condition)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of places; characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder

Synonyms:

shipshape; trim; well-kept

Context example:

a trim little sailboat

Similar:

tidy (marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits)

 Context examples 

A small but well-kept house in the outskirts of the town sheltered the bereaved mother.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She thought it would do her no harm, for she sincerely meant to write nothing of which she would be ashamed, and quieted all pricks of conscience by anticipations of the happy minute when she should show her earnings and laugh over her well-kept secret.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It was a piteous sight, the once rosy face so changed and vacant, the once busy hands so weak and wasted, the once smiling lips quite dumb, and the once pretty, well-kept hair scattered rough and tangled on the pillow.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

On the other side was a stately stone mansion, plainly betokening every sort of comfort and luxury, from the big coach house and well-kept grounds to the conservatory and the glimpses of lovely things one caught between the rich curtains.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

We both looked at the grass—there was a sharp line where my ragged lawn ended and the darker, well-kept expanse of his began. I suspected that he meant my grass.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)