untidy
adjective
un·ti·dy
ˌən-ˈtī-dē 
1
a
: not neat : slovenly
their untidy kitchen
b
: not neat or orderly in habits or procedure
an untidy mind
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
an untidy manuscript
b
: conducive to a lack of neatness
untidy tasks like bathing the baby—
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Examples of untidy in a Sentence
I can never find anything in this untidy office.
neighbors gossiped about the woman's rumpled and untidy children
Recent Examples on the Web
Life unfolds in its untidy way, and tests commitments.
—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Bad parents of their own extended childhoods, struggling with the second, or third, act of untidy lives.
—Nick Bowlin, Harper's Magazine, 24 Mar. 2024
In a growing number of schools, days are marked by strict routines and detentions for minor infractions, like forgetting a pencil case or having an untidy uniform.
—Emma Bubola, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
By David Culver, Tara John and Abel Alvarado | CNN
With its four-piece bathroom suite, queen-size bed and mini fridge, the untidy prison cell of the notorious leader of the Los Choneros gang, José Adolfo Macías, could have been in a hotel instead of one of Ecuador’s largest prison complexes.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for untidy 
Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Bad parents of their own extended childhoods, struggling with the second, or third, act of untidy lives.
—Nick Bowlin, Harper's Magazine, 24 Mar. 2024
In a growing number of schools, days are marked by strict routines and detentions for minor infractions, like forgetting a pencil case or having an untidy uniform.
—Emma Bubola, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
By David Culver, Tara John and Abel Alvarado | CNN
With its four-piece bathroom suite, queen-size bed and mini fridge, the untidy prison cell of the notorious leader of the Los Choneros gang, José Adolfo Macías, could have been in a hotel instead of one of Ecuador’s largest prison complexes.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for untidy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'untidy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untidy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
untidy
adjective
un·ti·dy
ˌən-ˈtīd-ē
ˈən-
1
: not neat : careless
2
a
: not neatly organized or carried out
b
: marked by a lack of neatness
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