tidy
Welsh: good, fine, decent.
Seen in the wild
I’m never going to make this mop look tidy for work. It’s like Japanese knotweed
Calling cyber attacks a business risk keeps the damage tidy. The deeper harm is a digital economy that makes exposure ordinary, then leaves workers, customers and public services to carry the theft, interruption and…
Will tidy up my page when I have a moment!
Tidy little 'investigation' will say this was all before he became an MP, all legit & to be swept under the proverbial rug (along with all his other misdemeanours). Had it been anyone from the Labour party this would…
Decided I need to tidy things up a bit! 😊
Definitions
Welsh: good, fine, decent. "Tidy" weather, "tidy" pint. Quintessentially Wenglish (Welsh-English).
"That's a tidy job."
“I’m never going to make this mop look tidy for work. It’s like Japanese knotweed”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Calling cyber attacks a business risk keeps the damage tidy. The deeper harm is a digital economy that makes exposure ordinary, then leaves workers, customers and public services to carry the theft, interruption and fear as routine life.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Will tidy up my page when I have a moment!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Tidy little 'investigation' will say this was all before he became an MP, all legit & to be swept under the proverbial rug (along with all his other misdemeanours). Had it been anyone from the Labour party this would have turned into a crazy court martial!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Decided I need to tidy things up a bit! 😊”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Show 12 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.
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Generous, considerable.
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In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.
“Please help [improve this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Bill_Tidy "Special:EditPage/Bill Tidy") by [adding citations to reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners "Help:Referencing for beginners").”
“Seth Wenig/AP Marie Kondo, the queen of tidy, says her house isn't so tidy anymore.”
“If an [internal link](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Tidy&namespace=0) incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.”
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Expression of agreement or positive acknowledgement, usually in reply to a question; great, fine.
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To make tidy; to neaten.
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A container or other device for storing or organizing loose items in a tidy fashion.
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Normalized in a certain way that optimizes for data analysis.
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Not messy; neat and controlled.
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Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.
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Satisfactory; comfortable.
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Arranged neatly and in order.
"tidy" means arranged neatly and in order. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"tidy" is informal English meaning arranged neatly and in order. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "arranged neatly and in order" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "tidy" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
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A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.
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Used in
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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