tidy

[ tahy-dee ]
See synonyms for: tidytidiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,ti·di·er, ti·di·est.
  1. neat, orderly, or trim, as in appearance or dress: a tidy room;a tidy person.

  2. clearly organized and systematic: a tidy mind;a tidy way of working.

  1. tolerably good; acceptable: They worked out a tidy arrangement agreeable to all.

  2. 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.

Origin of tidy

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English tidi, tidy “seasonable,” hence “good”; cognate with Dutch tijdig; equivalent to tide1 + -y1

Opposites for tidy

Other words from tidy

  • ti·di·ly, adverb
  • ti·di·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tidy in a sentence

  • The swarthy, slender, tidily groomed ex-AT&T salesman from Oklahoma appeared calm as the verdicts were read.

    Sweat-Lodge Guru’s Homicide Verdict | Terry Greene Sterling | June 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • You know that he must have been a tormented genius, or one for whom everything clicked as tidily as a safety pin.

    3 Must-Read Novels | The Daily Beast | April 11, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The room was full of healthy-looking workmen, tidily dressed and busily doing honour to the porridge and other items on the menu.

    Friend Mac Donald | Max O'Rell
  • He returned to the loft with a large, thick sack, made of flax, which he laid tidily over the bed.

    Heidi | Johanna Spyri
  • She was then entreated to dress herself as tidily as possible, but she would only go her own way.

  • He learnt to plait the foliage of faded crocuses, and pin them tidily to the ground with little wooden forks.

    Hyacinth | George A. Birmingham
  • But this meant living less tidily by having less washing done, or going hungrier.

    Making Both Ends Meet | Sue Ainslie Clark and Edith Wyatt

British Dictionary definitions for tidy

tidy

/ (ˈtaɪdɪ) /


adjective-dier or -diest
  1. characterized by or indicating neatness and order

  2. informal considerable: a tidy sum of money

verb-dies, -dying or -died
  1. (when intr, usually foll by up) to put (things) in order; neaten

nounplural -dies
    • a small container in which odds and ends are kept

    • sink tidy a container with holes in the bottom, kept in the sink to retain rubbish that might clog the plug hole

  1. mainly US and Canadian an ornamental protective covering for the back or arms of a chair

Origin of tidy

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

Derived forms of tidy

  • tidily, adverb
  • tidiness, noun

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