unkempt

This term carries a strong connotation of neglect and a lack of discipline. When applied to a person, it suggests a state of disarray that often implies a temporary loss of control or a deliberate disregard for social grooming standards, evoking an image of tangled hair or wrinkled clothes.

In the context of environments, the word shifts toward a sense of abandonment. It describes a space where nature has reclaimed a managed area, such as a lawn becoming a meadow of weeds, signaling a failure of stewardship rather than mere accidental messiness.