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definitions

untidy

[ uhn-tahy-dee ]
/ ʌnˈtaɪ di /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR untidy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, un·ti·di·er, un·ti·di·est.

not tidy or neat; slovenly; disordered: an untidy room; an untidy person.
not well-organized or carried out: an untidy plan.

verb (used with object), un·ti·died, un·ti·dy·ing.

to mess up; disorder; disarrange: The guests untidied the room.

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RELATED WORDS

messiness, disorganization, slovenliness

Nearby words

  1. unthought,
  2. unthought-of,
  3. unthread,
  4. unthrifty,
  5. unthrone,
  6. untie,
  7. until,
  8. untimely,
  9. untimeous,
  10. untinged

Origin of untidy

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at un-1, tidy
Related formsun·ti·di·ly, adverbun·ti·di·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for untidiness

British Dictionary definitions for untidiness

untidy

/ (ʌnˈtaɪdɪ) /

adjective -dier or -diest

not neat; slovenly

verb -dies, -dying or -died

(tr) to make untidy
Derived Formsuntidily, adverbuntidiness, 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
Word Origin and History for untidiness

untidy

adj.

early 13c., "untimely, unseasonable, unsuitable," from un- (1) "not" + tidy (adj.). Cf. West Frisian ontidich, Middle Dutch ontidich, Dutch ontijdig, Old High German unzitich, German unzeitig, Norwegian utidig "untimely, unseasonable, unfavorable." Meaning "poorly cared for, not neat" is recorded from mid-14c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper