ordered

adjective

or·​dered ˈȯr-dərd 

: characterized by order: such as

a

: marked by regularity or discipline

led an ordered life

b

: marked by regular or harmonious arrangement or disposition

an ordered landscape

the ordered crystal structure

c

: having elements arranged or identified according to a rule: such as

(1)

: having the property that every pair of different elements is related by a transitive relationship that is not symmetric

(2)

: having elements labeled by ordinal numbers

an ordered triple has a first, second, and third element

Examples of ordered in a Sentence

an ordered sequence of events

Recent Examples on the Web

But, legalities aside, the rescission of the sensitive-places policy raises deeper questions about what values should guide our pursuit of an ordered society. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

Some ordered autopsies in sudden infant deaths and unexpected child deaths; others didn’t. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 5 Mar. 2025

The memo was walked back days later and the ordered freeze has been halted by a federal court, but some programs appear to still be in limbo. —Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2025

The pilot ended up taking matters into his own hands and ordered pizza. —Brittany Kasko, Fox News, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ordered

• back-ordered
• just what the doctor ordered
• partially ordered
• simply ordered
• well-ordered

Rhymes for ordered

• disordered
• reordered
• unordered
• bordered

Kids Definition

ordered

adjective

or·​dered ˈȯrd-ərd 

1

: carefully regulated or managed

led an ordered life

an ordered landscape

2

a

: having the property that for any two different elements a and b either a is greater than b or a is less than b

the set of real numbers is ordered

b

: having elements labeled by ordinal numbers

an ordered pair has a first and a second element