untidy

adjective

ˌən-ˈtī-dē How to pronounce untidy (audio)
Definition of untidynext
1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness I can never find anything in this untidy office

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person neighbors gossiped about the woman's rumpled and untidy children

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 untidy The expansion of the humanitarian system was untidy and asymmetric, driven by the organizational self-interest of the bigger international NGOs and UN agencies involved in crisis response and their desire for greater market share. — Time, 26 Feb. 2026 An early version of the best dessert in the house was a great-tasting but untidy wet block of orange cake the size of a solitaire deck with a ping-pong scoop of chocolate ice cream. — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Feb. 2026 Commoners’ untidy open fields are returning to contemporary agricultural practice. — Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 Trusting our usual virtual background on Teams to mask an untidy living room or kitchen table from colleagues. — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for untidy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untidy
  1. messy
  2. sloppy
  3. chaotic
  4. unkempt
  5. littered
  6. wrinkled
  7. cluttered
  8. shaggy
Adjective
  • April 20 – May 20 Steady steps make messy tasks feel manageable.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Everyone has a plan, sure, and sometimes an ironclad belief in their motivations for that plan, but something always twists itself into a messy little knot in the execution.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • With a pointed collar and button cuffs, flannels look more put-together than sloppy sweatshirts, all while staying comfy and relaxed.
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That screwed up the works / And not due to his sloppy hiring / Of a crew of incompetent jerks.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • During the actual stream, things moved quickly beyond gambling, turning into something closer to a chaotic Drake variety show.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Kitchen The kitchen is a hard-working space that can feel chaotic—but doesn’t have to.
    — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • Milkweed tends to thrive in transitional areas, such as fallow fields, unkempt lawns, and the edges of highways.
    — Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Today, some bright spots aside, the Art Deco District’s historic commercial spine is a drab length of vacant and unkempt storefronts, smoke shops, liquor stores, fast-food outlets, cheap T-shirt emporia and other varieties of tourist trap.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of unkempt
Adjective
  • In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.
    — Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.
    — Scarlett Harris, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Definition of littered
Adjective
  • Participants with wet but non-wrinkled fingers required significantly more force to maintain the same hold; their hands were working harder to do less.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of wrinkled
Adjective
  • Lombardo shares that bathrooms quickly get cluttered because storage space is often limited.
    — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 8 Aug. 2026
  • More than 100 cats were rescued from three squalid, cluttered homes in the Bronx and Queens this week, officials said.
    — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of cluttered
Adjective
  • The pile is less shaggy and the patterns lean geometric over minimalist.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026
  • At its best, that instinct lends his comedies a shaggy warmth and a conspiratorial mood that suggests the filmmaker, character, and even viewers are all surviving the humiliation of modern intimacy together.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaggy

Browse Nearby Words

untidiness
untidy
untie
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Cite this Entry

“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untidy. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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