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Showing results for untidy. Search instead for Be untidy.
Synonyms

untidy

American  
[uhn-tahy-dee] / ʌnˈtaɪ di /

adjective

untidier, untidiest

  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)

untidied, untidying

  1. to mess up; disorder; disarrange.

    The guests untidied the room.
untidy British  
/ ʌnˈtaɪdɪ /

adjective

  1. not neat; slovenly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to make untidy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

"Dog law in general is an untidy mess."

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

"We were a bit untidy in attack but I thought we were outstanding in defence. We really cut off their edges, shut them right out."

From BBC • Sep. 6, 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

He was spattered here and there with paint and calcimine, and there were bits of wallpaper clinging to his hair and whiskers, for he was rather an untidy man.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

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.