1
as in tidy
being clean and in good order
a small, unpretentious inn offering pleasant, orderly rooms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in organized
following a set method, arrangement, or pattern
the consultant developed an orderly procedure that allows us to process our Internet sales much more quickly and efficiently
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in neatly
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of orderly
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
What starts as democratic, orderly, cooperative and hopeful quickly devolves into something violent, tribal, primitive and utterly wild.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Keep boots upright and orderly by using boot trees, cardboard tubes, or even a short length of PVC pipe.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for orderly
Adjective
Boym, who was born in Russia, argued that Vladimir Putin and his political allies came to power by fostering nostalgia for an orderly Soviet superstate after the economic turbulence of the nineties.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
What starts as democratic, orderly, cooperative and hopeful quickly devolves into something violent, tribal, primitive and utterly wild.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Adverb
Markus Redmond rounded out the cast as orderly turned EMT Raymond.
—Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Keep boots upright and orderly by using boot trees, cardboard tubes, or even a short length of PVC pipe.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for orderly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orderly
Adjective
-
Jonathan Gregg plays pedal steel, an ambient-country must, and has a tidy Americana background.—
Brian Howe,
Pitchfork,
12 May 2026
-
Keeping the surrounding area tidy also helps.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
During the Obama administration, policies dictated that DOJ wouldn’t interfere with state laws allowing medical or recreational pot use, effectively discouraging prosecution for nonviolent users who weren’t involved in organized crime.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
At that time, Dykstra said, the school had no organized sports, music programs or even gym classes.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
On the table beside him sat the morning edition of the Orlando Sentinel, folded neatly the way only longtime newspaper readers fold a newspaper.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
In the kitchen alone, there were hundreds of plates, cups, bowls, platters, glasses, pitchers, vases, and cutlery, impressively organized by type and boxed up in sets, with prices neatly marked on matching labels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Her home state isn’t one of neat lines and concrete divisions; this is the only place in the world where bluegrass, zydeco, Tejano, western swing, and Mexican rancheras all coexist and sometimes even blend.—
Cat Cardenas,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
Not just the neat trick of beguiling highbrow critics while at the same time pleasing millions of readers who don’t care about literary bona fides.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The new report goes further, calling the violence systematic and calculated.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
But there is also a systematic way to determine whether the risk is worth it.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
12 May 2026
Adverb
-
My biggest complaint is that while the main narrative does wrap up tidily, the story also spins forward in a way that demands a sequel (which Spufford is already working on).—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
On the stage at MCC, Meek’s story feels too sealed, too tidily walled in.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Starboard’s 2026 strategy leans into partnership, culture and experiential momentum, while Harding+ is building a more systematized retail model around emotion, data, and innovation.—
Kevin Rozario,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Fans were booing and barking as Breakker slowed the pace down with methodical suplexes.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Survival beyond Earth won't hinge on heroics as much as planning, engineering and being as methodical as the threats deep space presents.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Orderly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orderly. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
