untidy

adjective

un·​ti·​dy ˌən-ˈtī-dē How to pronounce untidy (audio)
1
a
: not neat : slovenly
their untidy kitchen
b
: not neat or orderly in habits or procedure
an untidy mind
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
an untidy manuscript
b
: conducive to a lack of neatness
untidy tasks like bathing the babyNew Yorker
untidily adverb
untidiness noun

Examples of untidy in a Sentence

I can never find anything in this untidy office. neighbors gossiped about the woman's rumpled and untidy children
Recent Examples on the Web Bad parents of their own extended childhoods, struggling with the second, or third, act of untidy lives. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 By David Culver, Tara John and Abel Alvarado | CNN With its four-piece bathroom suite, queen-size bed and mini fridge, the untidy prison cell of the notorious leader of the Los Choneros gang, José Adolfo Macías, could have been in a hotel instead of one of Ecuador’s largest prison complexes. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 Kelley’s favorite plant doesn’t look like much, just your standard untidy grass. Joann C Gutin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Not only can this make our homes look untidy, but said dust, dirt, and pet hair can also exacerbate allergies. Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024 To tell a story no admission officer has read before, draw from your private experiences, candid insights, and untidy contradictions. Dan Lichterman, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2023 These untidy ends are more provocative than the moments of exposition. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023 In a classic scene from Friends' eighth season, Monica tried to hide her untidy closet from Chandler (Matthew Perry). Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 21 Aug. 2023 Even as Kovalenko’s filmmaking shares its severe, rigorous formalism with these peers and collaborators, however, its frank, unfiltered feminist perspective distinguishes it from their output — as her camera cuts a kinetic, untidy path through a society of variously oppressive menfolk. Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'untidy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of untidy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near untidy

Cite this Entry

“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untidy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

untidy

adjective
un·​ti·​dy ˌən-ˈtīd-ē How to pronounce untidy (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not neat : careless
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
b
: marked by a lack of neatness
untidily adverb
untidiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on untidy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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