Dictionary

tidy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈtaɪ.di/
• (Southern-England) audio

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”).

Meanings

1. Arranged neatly and in order.
   • She always kept her desk immaculately tidy; nothing was ever out of place.
2. Not messy; neat and controlled.
   • Keep Britain tidy by picking up litter.
3. (colloquial) Satisfactory; comfortable.
4. (colloquial) Generous, considerable.
   • Two hundred thousand people! Miss Glory, that's a tidy lot. Not bad. c. 1921 (date written), Karel Čapek, translated by Paul Selver, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots): A Fantastic Melodrama […], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1923, →OCLC, Act 1:
   • The scheme made a tidy profit.
5. (obsolete) In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.
   • if weather be fair and tidy 1573, Thomas Tusser, Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry:
6. (obsolete) Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.
7. Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.
8. (of data in a dataset, qualifier:data science) Normalized in a certain way that optimizes for data analysis.

Forms

Antonyms

slipshod (antonym(s) of “not messy”) · untidy (antonym(s) of “not messy”) · messy (antonym(s) of “not messy”)

Deriveds

tidyish · tidyness · neat and tidy · tidytips

Relateds

tidily · tidiness

Synonyms

orderly · neat (arranged neatly) · clean · spick and span · presentable · fit · seasonable · opportune (at the right time) · apt (appropriate or suitable)

Translations (105)

es pulcro (arranged neatly) · fi puhdas (arranged neatly) · cs čistý (arranged neatly) · cy taclus (arranged neatly) · da ryddelig (arranged neatly) · mi nahanaha (arranged neatly) · ja こざっぱりした (arranged neatly) · tr muntazam (arranged neatly) · nl net (arranged neatly) · hu tiszta (arranged neatly) · ca bo (generous, considerable) · kix wāsēm (arranged neatly) · pt arrumado (arranged neatly) · ca endreçat (arranged neatly) · de ordentlich (generous, considerable) · yi ציכטיק (arranged neatly) · mi pūhangaiti (arranged neatly) · sk úhľadný (arranged neatly) · ko 단정한 (arranged neatly) · da ordentlig (arranged neatly) · sco dink (arranged neatly) · nn ryddig (arranged neatly) · da velordnet (arranged neatly) · ar مُنَظَّم (arranged neatly) · pl schludny (arranged neatly) · af netjies (arranged neatly) · ckb پاک و تەمیز (arranged neatly) · th เรียบร้อย (arranged neatly) · es aseado (arranged neatly) · mi pīhangaiti (arranged neatly) · it ordinato (arranged neatly) · it pulito (arranged neatly) · nl rein (arranged neatly) · ja きちんとした (arranged neatly) · tr temiz (arranged neatly) · sk usporiadaný (arranged neatly) · ms kemas (arranged neatly) · mg milamina (arranged neatly) · mr नेटकी (arranged neatly) · sv prydlig (arranged neatly) · lv tīrs (arranged neatly) · sk upravený (arranged neatly) · bg спретнат (arranged neatly) · bn গোছানো (arranged neatly) · mi tōrire (arranged neatly) · ga cúirialta (arranged neatly) · cmn 整齊 /整齐 (arranged neatly) · nb ryddig (arranged neatly) · ga slachtmhar (arranged neatly) · yi זויבער (arranged neatly) · la mundus (arranged neatly) · ru чи́стый (arranged neatly) · ca considerable (generous, considerable) · ga néata (arranged neatly) · fr ordonné (arranged neatly) · cs uklizený (arranged neatly) · mr नेटका (arranged neatly) · el νοικοκυρεμένος (arranged neatly) · el τακτοποιημένος (arranged neatly) · nl puur (arranged neatly) · fa پاکیزه (arranged neatly) · pt ordenado (arranged neatly) · el περιποιημένος (arranged neatly) · fr net (arranged neatly) · da opryddet (arranged neatly) · nl proper (arranged neatly) · ga pioctha (arranged neatly) · de gepflegt (arranged neatly) · gu વ્યવસ્થિત (arranged neatly) · de ordentlich (arranged neatly) · bg чист (arranged neatly) · ru аккура́тный (arranged neatly) · ckb رێکوپێک (arranged neatly) · el φροντισμένος (arranged neatly) · es prolijo (arranged neatly) · ca pulcre (arranged neatly) · es adecentado (arranged neatly) · bg подреден (arranged neatly) · es arreglado (arranged neatly) · uk чи́стий (arranged neatly) · fur net (arranged neatly) · pt limpo (arranged neatly) · de sauber (arranged neatly) · de nett (arranged neatly) · eu txukun (arranged neatly) · mn эмх цэгцтэй (arranged neatly) · fi siisti (arranged neatly) · gd cunbhalach (arranged neatly) · lv tīrīgs (arranged neatly) · de adrett (arranged neatly) · lt tvarkingas (arranged neatly) · pt asseado (arranged neatly) · grc κόσμιος (arranged neatly) · ru опря́тный (arranged neatly) · mr नेटके (arranged neatly) · ar نَظِيف (arranged neatly) · uk оха́йний (arranged neatly) · hy կոկիկ (arranged neatly) · ar اَنِيق (arranged neatly) · pdt krakjt (arranged neatly) · pt limpado (arranged neatly) · bg значителен (generous, considerable) · eo pura (arranged neatly) · cmn 整潔 /整洁 (arranged neatly) · uk акура́тний (arranged neatly)

tidy en · INTJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈtaɪ.di/
• (Southern-England) audio

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”).

Meanings

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

tidy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtaɪ.di/
• (Southern-England) audio

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”).

Meanings

1. (in-compounds, with a modifier) A container or other device for storing or organizing loose items in a tidy fashion.
   • desk tidy; sink tidy; cable tidy
   • NORRIS'S SINK TIDY. J NORRIS AND SONS, Sunningdale, near Ascot, the inventors of the "Little Friend" soap-tray, have extended the usefulness of this utensil by designing a sink-tidy for carrying three of the trays in the manner shown in the engraving. The tidy is formed by a strip of light wood[…]The price at which the tidy is offered virtually places it within the reach of everyone. 1895 July 6, The Ironmonger: Builders Merchant and Hardwareman, page 13:
   • It was in the days when[…]every scrap of cotton or linen found its way into the ‘tidy’. 1863, William Blanchard Jerrold, Signals of distress, in refuges and homes of charity, London, page 207:
   • Inside there it was, the 1337 Revolving Desk Tidy.[…]The round "tidy" was divided into six segments "for all types of small sundries," and looked a bit like a grapefruit cut across the middle. 2020, James Ward, The Perfection of the Paperclip, page 11:
2. A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.
3. (dated) A child's pinafore.
   • A much coarser cotton, according to the fancy of the worker, may be used for the trimmings of night dresses, petticoats, D'Oyleys, tidies, etc. 1846, Miss Lambert, The Handbook of Needlework:
4. The wren.
   • The Tydie for her notes as delicate as they 1612, Michael Drayton, chapter 13, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

sink tidy · desk tidy · tidy-up · cable tidy · hair-tidy

Translations (2)

ga gabhdán (tabletop container for pens and stationery) · ga coimeádán (tabletop container for pens and stationery)

tidy en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈtaɪ.di/
• (Southern-England) audio

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”).

Meanings

1. To make tidy; to neaten.

Forms

Deriveds

tidiable · tidy one's sock drawer · tidy up · untidied