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
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Recent Examples of untidy
Inspired by the cognitive dissonance that Joan Didion experienced in Miami, Nick León creates a refreshingly untidy tapestry of the city’s dance music on A Tropical Entropy.
—
Pitchfork, 2 Dec. 2025
For all their control, Chelsea remain most vulnerable when the game becomes untidy.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Many plants, shrubs, and trees on the three-acre landscape had been ravaged by back-to-back hurricanes, while others had become overgrown and untidy.
—Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2025
For those with untidy cleaning closets like myself, this nifty holder mounts to your wall and is designed with special grips to hold your go-to broom, tried-and-true mop, and more.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untidy
Pitchfork, 2 Dec. 2025
For all their control, Chelsea remain most vulnerable when the game becomes untidy.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Many plants, shrubs, and trees on the three-acre landscape had been ravaged by back-to-back hurricanes, while others had become overgrown and untidy.
—Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2025
For those with untidy cleaning closets like myself, this nifty holder mounts to your wall and is designed with special grips to hold your go-to broom, tried-and-true mop, and more.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untidy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untidy
Adjective
-
Pfizer outbid Novo Nordisk for Metsera in a messy M&A fight last year that involved dueling lawsuits and anticompetitive claims.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
-
While mixtures of two or three metals were messy and unstable, the five-metal combination paradoxically self-organized into a single, uniform product, streamlining 31 possible chemical outcomes into a single, precise nanocrystal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Marlins were sloppy early, committing two fielding errors (by left fielder Stowers and pitcher Anthony Bender).—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
-
Now, that doesn’t excuse Amad’s extremely sloppy pass, straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, who ran through unchecked to score.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The chaotic family life was cited when Cary Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the tourists’ murders; he was found mentally fit to stand trial.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
The start turned chaotic in seconds when Verstappen, who along with Leclerc almost immediately passed Antonelli, proceeded to completely pirouette, recovering but quickly finding himself in ninth.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The dog is too thin, his fur is unkempt, and to top it all off, his owner leaves him outside all year round.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
-
Towering at seven feet, with unblinking googly eyes, a shaggy blaze of orange fur and a gloriously unkempt beard, Gritty looks like pure chaos brought to life.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
-
Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When The Worm’s Cannon Fires Velvet worms are nocturnal hunters that move through leaf litter, rotting logs and other cluttered, low-light environments.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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The dusty brown scrapbook, long presumed lost but recently unearthed in the back of a cluttered closet, filled in some of the answers.—
John Ficarra,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Inside, piles of white fiber extracted from the plants’ leaves awaited combing, destined for everything from handbags to the shaggy chandeliers that have made Damman a rising design star.—
Ingrid Abramovitch,
Architectural Digest,
6 May 2026
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Mix with a fork, adding more ice water by the tablespoonful as needed, just until a shaggy dough comes together.—
Andy Baraghani,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untidy. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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