ungepflegt

unkempt, neglected, untidy in appearance

adjective OON-ge-pflekht Rare

Usage Note

ungepflegt describes a person, garden, or property that has not been cared for — ungepflegtes Äußeres, ungepflegter Garten. It is neutral-descriptive rather than harshly critical, implying simple neglect of maintenance.

Examples

"Der ungepflegte Vorgarten fiel sofort auf."

Natural Translation

The unkempt front garden was immediately noticeable.

Literal Translation

The unkempt front garden caught-attention immediately.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Wo, Wohin, Woher: Three Ways to Say Where

German splits where into three: wo (location), wohin (destination), and woher (origin). Learn the wo vs wohin rule, the hin/her logic, and common mistakes.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

How to Memorize German Vocabulary Fast

Memorize German vocabulary fast with a five-step workflow: drill the top 100 words, learn nouns with their article, color-code gender, and use spaced repetition

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read