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tidier; tidiest
tidied; tidying
tidier
noun
plural tidies
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Adjective
He has always been a tidy person.
She earns a tidy salary.
They paid a tidy sum for the house.
Verb
I tidied the house before they arrived.
Recent Examples on the Web
Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Jan. 2023
The film isn’t perfect: What ends up happening to Hawa, for instance, is a bit too tidy.
—Shamira Ibrahim, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2023
Andor recognizes that Star Wars has always been political, even when its politics were too tidy: Empire Bad.
—Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 23 Nov. 2022
But being too tidy can actually shortchange your plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2022
More introspective variations were quite warmly caressed, but some raging octaves elsewhere weren’t ideally tidy.
—Dallas News, 13 June 2022
Perhaps there’s something a little tidy and fantastical about the way Field makes Tár the author of her own demise.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2022
For example, passengers place all of their bags in the bins, which transport the items in a tidy and orderly fashion, like widgets in a factory assembly line.
—Andrea Sachs, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Nov. 2022
The medal-winning Helles Rauchbier is an acquired taste, smelling and tasting like a campfire — albeit in a bright, tidy and refreshing package.
—Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2023
All inclusive packages come with a captain and crew who will take care of all your needs on board (i.e. prepare meals and tidy up the boat).
—Leila Najafi, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2022
According to their creators, the machines will be able to find oil on their own and talk to one another to compute the most efficient way to tidy it up.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2010
Part of that can be attributed to the tendency to tidy up Big Conversations with pat remarks and swift expository dialogue.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2022
Or use some of these machines to tidy hard-to-reach places in which dust, dirt, and other mites accumulate over time.
—Grace Smith, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2022
No matter the location, keep a small vacuum or broom nearby to tidy up whatever your cat tracks outside the box.
—Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2022
And the understandable urge to snip and tidy them before the credits roll translates to a film dogged by uneven pacing.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2022
An easy way to spruce up an entryway and tidy it at the same time is with a coat and shoe rack combo, like this one from Homekoko that is currently going for $80.
—Jennifer Maldonado, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2022
Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Jan. 2023
No campaign signs ever perched in the tidy, mulched yard, a neighbor told the Globe.
—Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Jan. 2023
With that in mind, the Townspeople program will include a questionnaire that asks people a variety of questions that may range from political views to their thoughts on keeping a home tidy.
—Gary Warth
Dec. 27, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Dec. 2022
Though the denouement proves to be a little tidy, there’s authentic heart in this amusing play.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2022
Browse more than 20 of the best bathroom organization ideas to get your washroom tidy and in tip-top shape in no time.
—Country Living Staff, Country Living, 4 Jan. 2023
Just like at the 2018 tournament, Japanese supporters arrived in huge numbers, and again took it upon themselves to undertake post-match tidy-ups of the stadiums.
—Bysimon Chadwick And Paul Widdop, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2022
Smooth Talk is a coming-of-age masterstroke that resists the genre’s tidy messaging, with Dern as its thorny gravitational pull.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 June 2022
The contestants are encouraged to clean up after themselves, but Channel 9 also has cleaners that go in at various times to keep the Love Island Australia villa tidy.
—Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 6 Dec. 2022
See More
Adjective
The counters are tidy; the bar stools smooth and unrusted.
—Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Jan. 2023
The film isn’t perfect: What ends up happening to Hawa, for instance, is a bit too tidy.
—Shamira Ibrahim, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2023
Andor recognizes that Star Wars has always been political, even when its politics were too tidy: Empire Bad.
—Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 23 Nov. 2022
But being too tidy can actually shortchange your plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2022
More introspective variations were quite warmly caressed, but some raging octaves elsewhere weren’t ideally tidy.
—Dallas News, 13 June 2022
Perhaps there’s something a little tidy and fantastical about the way Field makes Tár the author of her own demise.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2022
For example, passengers place all of their bags in the bins, which transport the items in a tidy and orderly fashion, like widgets in a factory assembly line.
—Andrea Sachs, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Nov. 2022
The medal-winning Helles Rauchbier is an acquired taste, smelling and tasting like a campfire — albeit in a bright, tidy and refreshing package.
—Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
Verb
This year try to regularly tidy up to prevent the deepest of deep cleans come April.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2023
All inclusive packages come with a captain and crew who will take care of all your needs on board (i.e. prepare meals and tidy up the boat).
—Leila Najafi, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2022
According to their creators, the machines will be able to find oil on their own and talk to one another to compute the most efficient way to tidy it up.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2010
Part of that can be attributed to the tendency to tidy up Big Conversations with pat remarks and swift expository dialogue.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2022
Or use some of these machines to tidy hard-to-reach places in which dust, dirt, and other mites accumulate over time.
—Grace Smith, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2022
No matter the location, keep a small vacuum or broom nearby to tidy up whatever your cat tracks outside the box.
—Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2022
And the understandable urge to snip and tidy them before the credits roll translates to a film dogged by uneven pacing.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2022
An easy way to spruce up an entryway and tidy it at the same time is with a coat and shoe rack combo, like this one from Homekoko that is currently going for $80.
—Jennifer Maldonado, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2022
Noun
The Inner Richmond dad in March 2021 founded Refuse Refuse — meaning reject trash — as a one-man cleanup operation determined to keep his block tidy.
—Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Jan. 2023
No campaign signs ever perched in the tidy, mulched yard, a neighbor told the Globe.
—Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Jan. 2023
With that in mind, the Townspeople program will include a questionnaire that asks people a variety of questions that may range from political views to their thoughts on keeping a home tidy.
—Gary Warth
Dec. 27, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Dec. 2022
Though the denouement proves to be a little tidy, there’s authentic heart in this amusing play.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2022
Browse more than 20 of the best bathroom organization ideas to get your washroom tidy and in tip-top shape in no time.
—Country Living Staff, Country Living, 4 Jan. 2023
Just like at the 2018 tournament, Japanese supporters arrived in huge numbers, and again took it upon themselves to undertake post-match tidy-ups of the stadiums.
—Bysimon Chadwick And Paul Widdop, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2022
Smooth Talk is a coming-of-age masterstroke that resists the genre’s tidy messaging, with Dern as its thorny gravitational pull.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 June 2022
The contestants are encouraged to clean up after themselves, but Channel 9 also has cleaners that go in at various times to keep the Love Island Australia villa tidy.
—Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 6 Dec. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, timely, in good condition, from tide time
First Known Use
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Verb
1821, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of tidy was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing tidy
Dictionary Entries Near tidy
Cite this Entry
“Tidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tidy. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.
Kids Definition
tidy
3 of 3 noun
plural tidies
: a fancy covering used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soiling
More from Merriam-Webster on tidy
Nglish: Translation of tidy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tidy for Arabic Speakers
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