untidy

[ uhn-tahy-dee ]

adjective

, un·ti·di·er, un·ti·di·est.

1. not tidy or neat; slovenly; disordered:

   an untidy room; an untidy person.

2. not well-organized or carried out:

   an untidy plan.

verb (used with object)

, un·ti·died, un·ti·dy·ing.

1. to mess up; disorder; disarrange:

   The guests untidied the room.

untidy

/ ʌnˈtaɪdɪ /

adjective

1. not neat; slovenly

verb

1. tr to make untidy

Derived Forms

• unˈtidiness, noun
• unˈtidily, adverb

Other Words From

• un·tidi·ly adverb
• un·tidi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of untidy¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; un- ¹, tidy

Example Sentences

Rather than one person’s untidy reveries, the picture evokes an orderly cosmos.

From Washington Post

Promising Young Woman just feels like a movie that’s too raw, too untidy, and too polarizing to ever win Best Picture.

From Vox

That might be fine for a customer meeting but it can be intimidating for employees who did not manage to get their hair done perfectly in the morning or have an untidy room.

From Digiday

For example, if you’re fighting with your spouse about the messy kitchen, agree not to comment on housework during work hours no matter how untidy your home gets.

From Washington Post

There are a lot of Blackwing pencils, old emails, and untidy heaps of books on the desk.

From The Daily Beast

This video shows just how untidy one room became in a matter of seconds, with a fallen stuffed animal and shelf art on the floor.

From The Daily Beast

He succeeded thanks to his ear for dialogue, patient plotting, and what Thomson calls a "genuine feeling for untidy people."

From The Daily Beast

The Republican Party is growing smaller and more ideologically pristine; the Democratic Party has grown larger and more untidy.

From The Daily Beast

Then a fat, untidy old man appeared in the doorway of a cubicle within the shop, and Edwin Clayhanger blushed.

From Project Gutenberg

The lady of the roses went to the mirror over the untidy mantel piece, and looked at herself, as she answered.

From Project Gutenberg

His untidy hair was rumpled, as if someone had been hanging onto it while in the process of giving him the shiner.

From Project Gutenberg

A soiled bonnet cap, untidy strings, or torn gloves and collar will utterly spoil the prettiest costume.

From Project Gutenberg

They were pert and spoiled, untidy and noisy, although handsome and highly bred of feature.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bedraggled
• jumbled
• messy
• sloppy
• tangled