Standard Lemma guide

tidy

adj · intj · name · noun · verb · 20 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtaɪ.di/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪdi
  • CMU ARPABET: T AY1 D IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Arranged neatly and in order.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She always kept her desk immaculately tidy; nothing was ever out of place.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not messy; neat and controlled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Keep Britain tidy by picking up litter.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Satisfactory; comfortable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Generous, considerable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

Examples

  • The scheme made a tidy profit.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Normalized in a certain way that optimizes for data analysis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: data science

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

intj

Meaning 9

Expression of agreement or positive acknowledgement, usually in reply to a question; great, fine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Wales

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

name

Meaning 10

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A container or other device for storing or organizing loose items in a tidy fashion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-compounds

Examples

  • desk tidy; sink tidy; cable tidy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

A child's pinafore.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

The wren.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

verb

Meaning 15

To make tidy; to neaten.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

adjective

Meaning 16

marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a tidy person
  • a tidy house
  • a tidy mind

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: untidy

17

adjective satellite

Meaning 17

large in amount or extent or degree

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it cost a considerable amount
  • a goodly amount
  • received a hefty bonus
  • a respectable sum
  • a tidy sum of money
  • a sizable fortune

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goodly, goodish, healthy, hefty, respectable, sizable, sizeable

Antonyms: none provided

18

adjective satellite

Meaning 18

(of hair) neat and tidy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a nicely kempt beard

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kempt

Antonyms: none provided

19

noun

Meaning 19

receptacle that holds odds and ends (as sewing materials)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: receptacle

20

verb

Meaning 20

put (things or places) in order

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Tidy up your room!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tidy up, clean up, neaten, straighten, straighten out, square away

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: order

Narrower terms: make, make up, houseclean, clean house, clean

History

Etymology

From Middle English tidy, tydy, tidi (“timely, seasonal, opportune”), from tide (“time”) + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian tiedig (“timely, early”), Dutch tijdig (“timely”), German Low German tiedig (“timely”), German zeitig (“seasonal, timely”), Danish tidig (“timely”), Swedish tidig (“timely”).

Across languages

Translations

111 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: netjies — arranged neatly
  • Arabic: مُنَظَّم (munaẓẓam) — arranged neatly
  • Armenian: կոկիկ (kokik) — arranged neatly
  • Bengali: গোছানো (gōchanō) — arranged neatly
  • Bulgarian: спретнат (spretnat) — arranged neatly
  • Bulgarian: подреден (podreden) — arranged neatly
  • Catalan: endreçat — arranged neatly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 整齊 /整齐 (zhěngqí) — arranged neatly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 整潔 /整洁 (zhěngjié) — arranged neatly
  • Czech: uklizený — arranged neatly
  • Danish: ordentlig — arranged neatly
  • Danish: opryddet — arranged neatly
  • Dutch: net — arranged neatly
  • Dutch: proper — arranged neatly
  • Dutch: rein — arranged neatly
  • Finnish: siisti — arranged neatly
  • French: ordonné — arranged neatly
  • German: sauber — arranged neatly
  • German: ordentlich — arranged neatly
  • Greek: τακτοποιημένος (taktopoiiménos) — arranged neatly
  • Greek: νοικοκυρεμένος (noikokyreménos) — arranged neatly
  • Greek: περιποιημένος (peripoiiménos) — arranged neatly
  • Greek: φροντισμένος (frontisménos) — arranged neatly
  • Ancient Greek: κόσμιος (kósmios) — arranged neatly
  • Gujarati: વ્યવસ્થિત (vyavasthit) — arranged neatly
  • Irish: cúirialta — arranged neatly
  • Italian: ordinato — arranged neatly
  • Japanese: きちんとした (kichinto shita) — arranged neatly
  • Japanese: こざっぱりした (kozappari shita) — arranged neatly
  • Central Kurdish: پاک و تەمیز (pak û temîz) — arranged neatly
  • Latin: mundus — arranged neatly
  • Lithuanian: tvarkingas — arranged neatly
  • Malagasy: milamina — arranged neatly
  • Māori: nahanaha — arranged neatly
  • Māori: pūhangaiti — arranged neatly
  • Marathi: नेटके (neṭke) — arranged neatly
  • Marathi: नेटका (neṭkā) — arranged neatly
  • Marathi: नेटकी (neṭkī) — arranged neatly
  • Mongolian: эмх цэгцтэй (emx cegctej) — arranged neatly
  • Khiamniungan Naga: wāsēm — arranged neatly
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ryddig — arranged neatly
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ryddig — arranged neatly
  • Persian: پاکیزه (pâkize) — arranged neatly
  • Plautdietsch: krakjt — arranged neatly
  • Polish: schludny — arranged neatly
  • Portuguese: limpo — arranged neatly
  • Portuguese: ordenado — arranged neatly
  • Portuguese: arrumado — arranged neatly
  • Portuguese: asseado — arranged neatly
  • Russian: аккура́тный (akkurátnyj) — arranged neatly
  • Russian: опря́тный (oprjátnyj) — arranged neatly
  • Russian: чи́стый (čístyj) — arranged neatly
  • Scots: dink — arranged neatly
  • Scottish Gaelic: cunbhalach — arranged neatly
  • Slovak: úhľadný — arranged neatly
  • Slovak: usporiadaný — arranged neatly
  • Slovak: upravený — arranged neatly
  • Spanish: ordenado — arranged neatly
  • Spanish: pulcro — arranged neatly
  • Spanish: prolijo — arranged neatly
  • Thai: เรียบร้อย (rîiap-rɔ́ɔi) — arranged neatly
  • Welsh: taclus — arranged neatly
  • Yiddish: זויבער (zoyber) — arranged neatly
  • Yiddish: ציכטיק (tsikhtik) — arranged neatly
  • Bulgarian: значителен (značitelen) — generous, considerable
  • Catalan: considerable — generous, considerable
  • Catalan: bo — generous, considerable
  • German: ordentlich — generous, considerable
  • Irish: coimeádán — tabletop container for pens and stationery
  • Irish: gabhdán — tabletop container for pens and stationery
  • Afrikaans: opruim — to make tidy
  • Bulgarian: подреждам (podreždam) — to make tidy
  • Bulgarian: разтребвам (raztrebvam) — to make tidy
  • Catalan: endreçar — to make tidy
  • Catalan: ordenar — to make tidy
  • Catalan: netejar — to make tidy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 整理 (zhěnglǐ) — to make tidy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 收拾 (shōushi) — to make tidy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清理 (qīnglǐ) — to make tidy
  • Dutch: opruimen — to make tidy
  • Dutch: schoonmaken — to make tidy
  • Finnish: siistiä — to make tidy
  • French: ranger — to make tidy
  • Galician: limpar — to make tidy
  • Galician: ordenar — to make tidy
  • German: aufräumen — to make tidy
  • German: säubern — to make tidy
  • German: ordnen — to make tidy
  • Hungarian: takarít — to make tidy
  • Japanese: 片付ける (katazukeru) — to make tidy
  • Kazakh: реттеу (retteu) — to make tidy
  • Lithuanian: sutvarkyti — to make tidy
  • Malagasy: mandamina — to make tidy
  • Māori: rau(w)iri — to make tidy
  • Māori: whakapaipai — to make tidy
  • Māori: whakaraupapa (systematise) — to make tidy
  • Māori: tātai — to make tidy
  • Marathi: आवरणे (āvarṇe) — to make tidy
  • Mongolian: цэгцлэх (cegclex) — to make tidy
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: rydja — to make tidy
  • Persian: مرتب کردن — to make tidy
  • Polish: sprzątać — to make tidy
  • Portuguese: arrumar — to make tidy
  • Portuguese: assear — to make tidy
  • Russian: убира́ть (ubirátʹ) — to make tidy
  • Russian: приводи́ть в поря́док (privodítʹ v porjádok) — to make tidy
  • Russian: наводи́ть чистоту (navodítʹ čistotu) — to make tidy
  • Slovak: upraviť — to make tidy
  • Spanish: ordenar — to make tidy
  • Welsh: tacluso — to make tidy
  • Welsh: cymoni — to make tidy