untidy

adjective

un·​ti·​dy ˌən-ˈtī-dē How to pronounce untidy (audio)
1
a
: not neat : slovenly
their untidy kitchen
b
: not neat or orderly in habits or procedure
an untidy mind
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
an untidy manuscript
b
: conducive to a lack of neatness
untidy tasks like bathing the babyNew Yorker
untidily adverb
untidiness noun

Examples of untidy in a Sentence

I can never find anything in this untidy office. neighbors gossiped about the woman's rumpled and untidy children
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eagle-eyed social media users had spotted the editing over the untidy suits of the country’s top officials. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2024 Palermo is as untidy as life and as temperamental as a Sicilian lover. Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024 Life unfolds in its untidy way, and tests commitments. Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024 Bad parents of their own extended childhoods, struggling with the second, or third, act of untidy lives. Nick Bowlin, Harper's Magazine, 24 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for untidy 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of untidy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near untidy

Cite this Entry

“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untidy. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

untidy

adjective
un·​ti·​dy ˌən-ˈtīd-ē How to pronounce untidy (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not neat : careless
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
b
: marked by a lack of neatness
untidily adverb
untidiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on untidy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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