untidy
Americanadjective
-
not tidy or neat; slovenly; disordered.
an untidy room; an untidy person.
-
not well-organized or carried out.
an untidy plan.
verb (used with object)
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
- untidily adverb
- untidiness noun
Etymology
Origin of untidy
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at un- 1, tidy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's going to look a bit untidy on the way through. Big reforms always do," Communications Minister Anika Wells has said.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025
In a cagey encounter, players appeared fatigued with both teams untidy in possession and lacking quality in the final third.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2025
But to Berkowitz the untidy appearance hasn’t diminished what he sees as quality care he’s provided to his ducks.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2024
Photographs of the sign-fitter's work van - which she said was "almost always dirty and untidy" - were shown to the jurors.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2024
Instead, she held up something: an untidy bundle of switches.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
