Meanings
comparative more tidily · superlative most tidily
- In a tidy manner; neatly; cleanly.First known use 18th c.
The rabbits barely acknowledged her, intent on cleaning themselves, nibbling their food, tidily excreting.
2018, Melanie Finn, The Underneath3 more examples
And a man mun keep watch at t mill toft / To stiddy his mouter-dish — help him to sift it, / And see it's o' tidily done
1875, William Dickinson, Cumbriana; Or, Fragments of Cumbrian Life, page 231Bonnet drama, conversely, removes us tidily from any such responsibility to a world of rules and rituals, where everyone knows their place...
2000, Maureen Lipman, Lip ReadingA pile of assorted kitchen gear—a heavy frypan dark with soot, several spoons and forks stuck tidily in a clean pot, a kettle as blackened as the frypan, and a large pot that tilted benignly to one side—rested against the side of the firepit.
2004, Faith Richardson, Fay Lapka Richardson, Hoverlight, page 200 - obsoleteseasonably; betimes
- obsoletesuitably; duly; favourably
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishtidili
- Englishtidily
From Middle English tidili, tidily, equivalent to tidy + -ly.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tidily. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tidily
“tidily.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tidily. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tidily,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tidily.
Source: tidily on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.