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 If the shells are bothering you or making your landscape look untidy, cleanup is relatively easy and may even benefit your garden. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 16 July 2026 In the living room, a pilot rearranges an untidy study desk. — Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026 Worn or half-empty cereal boxes and chip bags disrupt the visual flow of open shelving and look untidy. — Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 May 2026 An untidy pile of chicken eyeballs on a slab, one of them gazing directly at us, is a vignette from a butcher’s shop—and also an echo of the horrific eye injuries inflicted on Kashmiri protestors by the police’s metal-pellet shotguns. — Samanth Subramanian, New Yorker, 2 May 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
  • Quality, innovation, customer value and decision-making are messier, and leaders should be cautious about claiming AI caused an improvement when many factors may have contributed.
    — Subha Barry, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Unlike the real thing, electric fireplaces emit no smoke and leave no messy ashes after use.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Charlotte won the rebound battle 51 to 44, but left the Pistons open way too often and were sloppy with the ball, committing 25 turnovers.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Lakers were sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 22 times.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • Then came the chaotic climate phenomenon, El Niño, that has intensified heavy rain and floods.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • During my uncle’s busy season, a large number of young men and women stayed with us to help, and the house would become as chaotic as a battlefield.
    — Yasushi Inoue, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • The drunken Ken spends his time on such things as warbling a karaoke version of a 4 Non Blondes song while an unkempt Ryu is a purveyor of ramen so bad even a stray cat won’t eat it.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Wendy Louis, 40, was arrested Tuesday after deputies conducted a welfare check on his home on Northeast 175th Street and found his children extremely thin and with unkempt, matted hair, the sheriff’s office said.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 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
  • Anyone who works with multiple monitors knows the pain of having cables cluttered chaotically around their desk.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026
  • From dusty heating vents to cluttered coat closets, these are the spots professional cleaners say deserve your attention now.
    — Brigitt Earley, Martha Stewart, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of cluttered
Adjective
  • The actor and producer has swapped the shaggy, caramel-toned lengths of recent months for a razor-sharp, jaw-grazing cut in a cool-toned shade of blonde.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Atop the mesh base, most of the overlays are also rendered in shaggy shade for a further emphasis on texture.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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