tidy

[ tahy-dee ]

adjective

, ti·di·er, ti·di·est.

1. neat, orderly, or trim, as in appearance or dress:

   a tidy room;

   a tidy person.

   Antonyms: sloppy, messy

2. clearly organized and systematic:

   a tidy mind;

   a tidy way of working.

3. tolerably good; acceptable:

   They worked out a tidy arrangement agreeable to all.

4. fairly large; considerable:

   a tidy sum.

verb (used with or without object)

, ti·died, ti·dy·ing.

1. to make tidy or neat (often followed by up ).

noun

, plural ti·dies.

1. any of various articles for keeping things tidy, as a box having small drawers and compartments.
2. an antimacassar.

tidy

/ ˈtaɪdɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by or indicating neatness and order
2. informal.
   considerable

   a tidy sum of money

verb

1. whenintr, usually foll by up to put (things) in order; neaten

noun

1. 1. a small container in which odds and ends are kept
   2. sink tidy a container with holes in the bottom, kept in the sink to retain rubbish that might clog the plug hole
2. an ornamental protective covering for the back or arms of a chair

Derived Forms

• ˈtidily, adverb
• ˈtidiness, noun

Other Words From

• tidi·ly adverb
• tidi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tidy¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English tidi, tidy “seasonable,” hence “good”; cognate with Dutch tijdig; equivalent to tide ¹ + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tidy¹

C13 (in the sense: timely, seasonable, excellent): from tide ¹+ -y ¹; related to Dutch tijdig timely

Example Sentences

There are no cushions to remove when you’re converting this sofa into a bed, making it a tidy addition to your living room space.

From Popular-Science

Their translucent plastic construction, buckling handles, and slim profiles make them perfect for sliding under the bed in ones and twos and retaining visibility of what’s inside while keeping it secure, tidy, and uniform.

From Popular-Science

You can also organize your passwords in different vaults to keep things tidy.

From Popular-Science

If they lift the Commissioner’s Trophy in October, even to an empty stadium, there will be a sense of tidy resolution, of processes paying off.

From FiveThirtyEight

If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain might not have time to finish tidying up.

From Science News For Students

I was the kid making a tidy profit burning CDs for all my friends at two bucks a pop back during the Napster heyday in 2000.

From The Daily Beast

White-bread ISIS recruits, culled from the wastelands of Web 2.0, call that tidy division into terrible question.

From The Daily Beast

She was married with three kids and had settled into a tidy one-story house with a good sized lawn in Ferguson.

From The Daily Beast

Which brings me to the bone that remains to be picked with Vox, helpful as their tidy summary of the CDC data was.

From The Daily Beast

He chooses not to create a tidy drama where characters are explained by their pasts.

From The Daily Beast

She was putting her papers tidy again with calm fingers, while his own were almost cramped with the energy of suppressed desire.

From Project Gutenberg

She is tidy enough, but very thriftless—mean, without the power of being economical.

From Project Gutenberg

I sit down on a trunk (it had a tidy over it, but I knowed it was a trunk all right), and Macie, she sit down byside me.

From Project Gutenberg

In looks he did not compare favourably with Nicholas, and was never so clean and tidy.

From Project Gutenberg

It was just such a tidy, rather vulgar and homelike room as no doubt Harvey would picture for his own home.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• orderly
• sleek
• snug
• well-kept