tidy
tidy Lexical Profile
tidy Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Arranged neatly and in order; free from clutter or mess.
"She always keeps her desk tidy so she can find her documents quickly."
Inclined to keep things neat and well-organized; methodical in habits.
"My roommate is a very tidy person who cleans the kitchen immediately after cooking."
(Informal) Considerable or impressively large in amount or size, especially regarding money.
"They managed to save a tidy sum of money over the course of five years."
• verb
To bring order to a room, space, or collection of items by arranging things neatly and putting them in their proper places.
"The children were asked to tidy their bedrooms before going outside to play."
• noun
British An act or session of making a room or space neat and orderly.
"The living room needs a quick tidy before our guests arrive for dinner."
A small container, receptacle, or organizer used for holding odds and ends neatly.
"She placed a plastic desk tidy next to her monitor to hold pens and paperclips."
A decorative protective cover placed over the back or arms of a chair to prevent soiling; an antimacassar.
"Lace tidies were pinned carefully to the backs of the Victorian armchairs."
• Rhymes for tidy
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'tidi', originally meaning 'timely, seasonable, or in good condition,' derived from Old English 'tid' (time or season) plus the suffix '-y'. The modern sense of 'neat and orderly' emerged in the early 18th century.