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
  • Impact Backers say Measure E would clean up those messy governmental issues.
    — Times staff, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • They are retained here as if to underscore the messy peculiarity of the world left behind.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Utah's most successful drive ended at the halftime break when Dillon Curtis missed a 34-yard field goalie to a sloppy snap-and-hold.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • And the need to blend all the sound together right before the ear canal can make the more complex instrumentation sound more sloppy than precise.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • In order to avoid large crowds and a chaotic shopping experience, customers might want to stay away from Costco on certain afternoons.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Engineered with bold resonant audio and booming bass, an IP67 waterproof and dustproof exterior, up to 20 hours of battery life, and convenient USB-C charge-out support, it is built for every chaotic adventure.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 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
  • With all the new tech coming across my desk lately, my workspace has become quite cluttered.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Evonitz held Kara hostage in his cluttered apartment for 18 hours.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of cluttered
Adjective
  • A bit later, a shaggy-haired knight would win the final competition, beat his chest, and throw a triumphant fist in the air as his section screamed for him.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Barring some sort of unforeseen cataclysm, Inevitability has reared its great, shaggy head.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 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 3 Nov. 2026.

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