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
  • Whether that promise survives contact with the messy, unsupervised way people actually use chatbots — typing symptoms into a phone in the middle of the night, hoping for reassurance rather than a referral — is a separate question.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • After a messy eight minutes, the remaining corn dog sticks and leftover food were tallied up for each contestant.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Golden State forced six Washington turnovers, but had six turnovers of its own in what was a sloppy first half.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • Minor wrinkles and soft creases look intentional rather than sloppy.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • The hub of the spaceship was too crowded and chaotic for communication, so Frank Kuligowski motioned his pal to the peace of a nearby corridor.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 July 2026
  • The first day used to be so chaotic and humorous in the old days, with players not knowing how to put on helmets let alone figure out shoulder pads and struggling in line drills.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • 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
  • But a jumble of mismatched pillows will create a chaotic and unkempt space.
    — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 18 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
  • Tidying up the Bathroom No one wants to wind down for the evening applying skincare in a cluttered bathroom, so spending time to put your products away after using them in the morning is essential, Naor explains.
    — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 25 July 2026
  • The goal is a small moment of surprise, not a cluttered shelf.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of cluttered
Adjective
  • There’s even a shaggy-bearded off-islander, an academic expert who has arrived to help find a solution.
    — Andy Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026
  • The shaggy bovines of the plains and boreal forests were nearly hunted to extinction in a frenzy of killing that decimated their population.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 20 July 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of untidy for Spanish Speakers

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