1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
I can never find anything in this untidy office
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2
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
neighbors gossiped about the woman's rumpled and untidy children
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Recent Examples of untidy
Bad parents of their own extended childhoods, struggling with the second, or third, act of untidy lives.
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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
Kelley’s favorite plant doesn’t look like much, just your standard untidy grass.
—Joann C Gutin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for untidy 
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
Kelley’s favorite plant doesn’t look like much, just your standard untidy grass.
—Joann C Gutin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for untidy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untidy
Adjective
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The decision worked smoothly for the AAC in Year 1 of this new setup, but the potential for a messy schedule remains in the future.Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 13 Dec. 2024
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Their divorce has been messy, with both exes calling each other out via Instagram.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Their puck play was sloppy, their penalty kill was awful and they got consistently outworked by the Canadiens.Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
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Another failed sloppy takedown briefly put Covington on the ground.Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Well, outside of the chaotic final seconds where, with Washington clinging to a 7-point lead, a game official’s error stopped the clock, leaving the Saints with time to spike the ball, call a play and complete a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Foster Moreau as time expired.Ben Standig, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
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More recently, at a time that feels similarly tumultuous and chaotic, Colonial Williamsburg and the Jane Austen House Museum have drawn a new wave of interest by teaming up with esteemed design brands to bring archival textiles, wallpapers, and paint colors to new life.Cornelia Powers, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Most wine lovers know that the word Sauvignon comes from the French word sauvage and the word blanc simply means white, but most people don’t know the reason is because when untrained vines of the variety have a distinctly unkempt appearance.Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
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But, as in these United States, the key question remains whether creeping totalitarianism — from the left and the right — will squeeze everyday people out of their inalienable right to just be their sometimes obnoxious, unkempt, idiosyncratic selves.Ed Wallace, New York Daily News, 6 June 2024
Adjective
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The 28-year-old actor appeared on the Dec. 12 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with his latest look, a thin mustache and his normally long curly hair trimmed in a shorter, shaggy crop.Hedy Phillips, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
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Take a cue from the Olsen handbook and look for shaggy details, longline shapes, and reversible designs.Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The headlines are still coming thick and fast, pushing advice on a user base now equal parts concerned and confused.Zak Doffman, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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Befuddling sales processes, complex product offerings, and a lack of business transparency have left people feeling more confused than protected in outdated models that don't empower consumers to choose for themselves.Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Corruption within the organization, after all, is as much a part of the show as Jackson Lamb’s slovenly habits and horrible diet.Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
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To them, flame is slovenly, backward, even atavistic, tolerable only when used for ceremonial purposes.Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Adjective
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They were packed in the ships’ holds in filthy conditions reminiscent of their initial arrival in North America, their prospects of freedom largely unchanged by the war.Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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Don't let a little plumbing snafu make your dishwasher filthy.Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Untidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untidy. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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