What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Orderly vs Messy - What's the difference?

orderly | messy | Antonyms |

Messy is a antonym of orderly.



As adjectives the difference between orderly and messy

is that orderly is neat and tidy; possessing order while messy is in a disorderly state; chaotic; disorderly.

As a noun orderly

is a hospital attendant given a variety of non-medical duties.

As an adverb orderly

is according to good order or practice; appropriately, in a well-behaved way.

orderly

Alternative forms

* ordrely (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Neat and tidy; possessing order.
  • He has always kept an orderly kitchen, with nothing out of place.
  • Methodical or systematic.
  • We live in an orderly universe, where rules govern both the movements of planets and the binding of molecules.
  • Peaceful; well-behaved.
  • An orderly gathering of citizens stood on the corner awaiting the bus.
  • Being on duty; keeping order; conveying orders.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • aids-de-camp and orderly men

    Derived terms

    * orderliness

    Noun

    (orderlies)
  • A hospital attendant given a variety of non-medical duties.
  • A soldier who carries out minor tasks for a superior officer.
  • Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • * Shakespeare
  • You are blunt; go to it orderly .
  • (obsolete) In order; in a particular order or succession; with a suitable arrangement.
  • *, II.12:
  • Thus orderly marshaled, they take their course and swim whither their journey tends, as broad and wide behind as before.
  • * 1624 , , Generall Historie , in Kupperman 1988, p.149:
  • And in the Tombe which is an arch made of mats, they lay them orderly .

    messy

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • In a disorderly state; chaotic; disorderly.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Boundary problems , passage=Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory.}}
  • (of a person) Prone to causing mess.
  • (of a situation) Difficult or unpleasant to deal with.
  • Synonyms

    (in a disorderly state) untidy, chaotic, disorderly, cluttered

    Antonyms

    * neat * orderly

    Derived terms

    * messily * messiness

    Descendants

    * German: (l)