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tidily

tidily

2 1.6
In a neat and organized way
  • adverb
  • /ˈtaɪdɪli/
translation icon : ordenadamente
  • The documents were filed tidily in the cabinet, making them easy to find.
  • tidily arranged

Examples

  • Everything else was stored tidily away in cupboards.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Grunting to herself, she slid out of bed, sticking her feet into paper hospital slippers lined up tidily under the edge.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • They hurried to where the carpet lay tidily spread out in the shade.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • She loads a cracker and inserts it tidily into her mouth.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • It was just her room, with toys and dolls tidily on the shelves, with Mickey Mouse smiling cheerfully.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We're in a western frontier town: saloon, general store, dry goods, blacksmith, livery stable, arranged tidily along a muddy thoroughfare.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Satisfied with the progress of the meal, she picked up the salve and smoothed a little on the reddened splotch on her hand before tidily replacing the tube in the cupboard.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She kept her room tidily organized, with each item in its proper place.

  • The flowers were arranged tidily in a vase on the dining table.

Synonyms

neatly
vstidily
93 1.0

To do something in a tidy and careful way

focuses on overall arrangement and order rather than close detail work
meticulously
vstidily
32 8.3

With great care and close attention to small details

is about general order and arrangement rather than extreme precision
trimly
vstidily
4.7

Someone arranges things in a neat and tidy way

is about internal arrangement and good organization rather than stylish looks

Antonyms

1 3.4

In a messy way that is not neat

How Tidy

immaculately
5 5.5
neatly
93 1.0
tidily
2 1.6
messily
1 1.4

Surface Forms

tidily positive

Morphology

tidily = tidy (transparent) = tidy + ly

A straightforward adverb formed from the adjective 'tidy' with the productive suffix '-ly', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Tidily comes from the adjective tidy plus the ending -ly, with -ly making the word mean 'in this way'. Tidy originally comes from an old word related to time or tide meaning 'proper' or 'fit', so tidily means 'in a neat, well-ordered way'.