tidily

Meanings

1. 1adverbcomparable

   In a neat, orderly way, with everything put in its proper place.

   Grammar: Comes after the verb or its object: she stacked the books tidily.

   Patterns

   • fold something tidily
   • arranged tidily

   He folded the towels tidily and placed them on the shelf.

   The tools were hung tidily along the garage wall.

   She wrote the answers tidily in the margin.

2. 2adverbcomparablefigurative

   In a way that deals with something efficiently or completes it cleanly, leaving no loose ends.

   Grammar: Often figurative, describing how a plan or problem is resolved: the issue was tidily solved.

   Patterns

   • wrap something up tidily
   • tidily resolved

   The detective's final speech tidily explained every clue.

   The committee tidily settled the dispute in ten minutes.

   Her argument ended tidily, with no questions left unanswered.

Word forms

Common combinations

dress tidily

The students dress tidily for school interviews.

stack tidily

Please stack the chairs tidily after the meeting.

tidily arranged

The spices were tidily arranged in alphabetical order.

tidily dispose of

The old paint cans were tidily disposed of at the recycling point.

Synonyms and how they differ

neatly

Neatly is the closest match and can also mean skillfully or precisely, while tidily focuses on order and absence of mess.

orderly

Orderly as an adverb is rarer and suggests following a system or sequence, whereas tidily is about appearance.

cleanly

Cleanly suggests no mess or dirt is left behind, but things can be cleanly done without being arranged in order.

Opposites

Word family

tidy adjective

neat and in order

tidiness noun

the quality of being neat

tidy verb

to make a place neat

untidily adverb

in a messy way

Commonly confused: tidily or tidal?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tidily”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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