tidy

American  

[tahy-dee] / ˈtaɪ di /

adjective

• tidier,
  comparative
• tidiest
  superlative

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)

• tidies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tidied,
  past participle,  past
• tidying
  present participle

1. to make tidy or neat (often followed byup ).

noun

• tidies
  plural

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

2. an antimacassar.

tidy British  

/ ˈtaɪdɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by or indicating neatness and order

2. informal considerable

   a tidy sum of money

---

verb

1. to put (things) in order; neaten

noun

1. 1. a small container in which odds and ends are kept

   2. 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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tidiness
  noun
• tidily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tidies
  plural

Adjectives

• tidier
  comparative
• tidiest
  superlative

Participles

• tidying
  present
• tidied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tidy
  simple
• tidies
  simple
• have tidied
  perfect
• has tidied
  perfect
• am tidying
  progressive
• are tidying
  progressive
• is tidying
  progressive
• have been tidying
  perfect progressive
• has been tidying
  perfect progressive

Past

• tidied
  simple
• had tidied
  perfect
• was tidying
  progressive
• were tidying
  progressive
• had been tidying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tidy
  simple
• will have tidied
  perfect
• will be tidying
  progressive
• will have been tidying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tidy

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

Explanation

Use the adjective tidy for something that is neat and clean. If your desk were more tidy, you would be able to find your computer. Tidy (or tidy up) also means “to clean up” and is also a noun for a container for small objects, like scraps or sewing materials. These senses of tidy have a formal or even old-fashioned note. (We’re more likely to say clean, organize, or bin now in everyday conversation.) Tidy is also an informal adjective meaning "large or considerable." If you can put the word tidy before your profit or the sum in your bank account, it’s a good thing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tidy tidies tidier tidiest tidied tidying

The funds focus on lower-risk infrastructure businesses, which act as a tidy diversifier between bonds and equities, portfolio manager Bertrand Cliquet told MarketWatch in an interview on Monday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

I now put away all tools and tidy the workbench when I’m done with my workshop for the day, even if I expect to come back to a project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Some people have braved the high temperatures to tidy up the mess in their houses from the quake and put workplaces back in order.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

“There is no tidy predictable schedule to the illness,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

That they had made a tidy profit was evidenced by the size of their house, which stood apart from the rest of the village.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Moriarty figures heavily in the opening episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter” too, although Dougray Scott lends a malevolent scruff to him that Park’s interpretation tidies up.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025

Watch: Mouse tidies up man's shed every night.

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2024

Early in the opening story, “Blessed Deliverance,” the unnamed narrator tidies up his friend Antonio’s room as a kindness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2023

Although the deception predictably comes to a head, as Joy’s husband and daughter act on their suspicions that something is awry, “Call Jane” tidies that mess with baffling brevity.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 25, 2022

She makes me laugh one minute, tidies without permission the next.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Given that gentrification, almost by definition, transforms high-disorder areas into tidier ones, and given that the process appears to be continuing in New York and other cities, hasn’t Mr. Gottlieb got matters exactly backward?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Sure, it would be tidier, and feel better, to get all of one’s support from like-minded individuals.

From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2026

"Being a little tidier and keep the bogeys off the scorecard, I think I can have a good weekend and get closer to the leaders."

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025

Sharing became tidier, too — or at least tidier until the glaze made its move.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025

She was tidier than this as a rule, but she may have had a miserable time in the first-class dining saloon.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

It's not the tidiest grinder I've ever used, but it's the best for brewed coffee.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2022

For most programs, it makes for the tidiest narrative to create icing out of what comes after the region final.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2019

The book was shaped, in collaboration with the composers, by Rick Elice, a writer of “Jersey Boys,” that tidiest of blockbuster jukebox musicals, as well as the ecstatic story-theater piece “Peter and the Starcatcher.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018

"One thing we've become professionals at is reading our diary onstage," Seth says in the tidiest encapsulation of their songwriting style.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2018

I have to say he was the tidiest person in the house, as opposed to Sophie, who used the floor as a display rack for her clothing choices.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

It is not simply that the curators have tidied up before letting the public in: Woolf’s “writing lodge” at Monk’s House in Sussex, England, for instance, is suspiciously clear of crumpled envelopes and broken cigarette-holders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

That night, Gil tidied up around the store, cleaned the bathroom, got ready to close for the day.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

So obviously I tidied my entire bedroom because I knew the Zoom was going to face out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

Even real life needs to be tidied up at the movies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025

The grass around the grave behind Gram’s—the one belonging to Isabella Fortune, Gram’s teacher who died really young—has been tidied up recently, and someone’s planted a little rosebush by it.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Some people are not comfortable with the idea of strangers staying in their home, and for those who are, there's a lot of preparation and tidying to do before their guests arrive.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Beijing cleaner Lin Meiqiong found her work a little easier the day she was paired with an unlikely new colleague -- a tall, wheeled robot with AI-powered tidying skills.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Donning my academic editor title, I imagined myself tasked with the act of tidying, turning teenage madness, drama, beauty into writing that is still dramatic and beautiful—just grammatically correct.

From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026

And the groove, this time led by a simple, prancing line by Mr. Maynard, simulates the rhythmic movement of tidying up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

I wiped away my tears and joined An Yi in tidying up the things on the floor.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

Related Words

• orderly
• sleek
• snug
• well-kept