Literary notes about UNTIDY (AI summary)
The term "untidy" appears across literary works as a versatile adjective that vividly conveys disorder—both in physical surroundings and in a character’s personal habits or mental state. Authors use it to describe tangible messes such as disheveled personal effects, scattered papers, and cluttered rooms ([1], [2], [3]), evoking a palpable sense of chaos and neglect. At the same time, "untidy" extends beyond mere physical disarray; it often captures an inner turmoil or a careless attitude, as when it characterizes a person's overall appearance or behavior, suggesting both literal and figurative disorganization ([4], [5], [6]). Some narratives play with ironic or humorous contrasts, highlighting untidiness as a contrary trait to polished society or neat manners, thereby enhancing character depth or social commentary ([7], [8], [9]). In other contexts, the word accentuates the natural, unpolished quality of certain settings or characters and becomes a subtle marker of authenticity or rustic charm ([10], [11], [12]). Overall, literary usage of "untidy" not only paints a picture of disorder but also contributes to the characterization and atmosphere, enriching the reader’s sensory and emotional experience ([13], [14], [15]).
- She folded the card into her untidy bag and snapped the catch.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - He went to a little untidy desk in the corner, and began a note.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells - For a long time he walked to and fro, threading his way between the chairs and the piles of untidy objects of all sorts.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - You know she is fearfully untidy, and she had left it with her handkerchiefs and ribbons and things in her top drawer.
— from Three Girls from School by L. T. Meade - His face was disturbed and troubled, while his clothes were disarranged and untidy.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - It would have been all the better, as it seemed to Alice, if she had got some one else to dress her, she was so dreadfully untidy.
— from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll - "I always heard literary people were untidy," said Esther smiling.
— from Children of the Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People by Israel Zangwill - They were dressed to correspond, though in a most untidy and negligent way.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - When I was happy, it was only necessary to glance into my closets, and it would have been evident that I was not a coquettish and untidy woman.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - Arabella looked so handsome amid her untidy surroundings that he felt glad he had come, and all the misgivings vanished that had hitherto haunted him.
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - She tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - I mean not to be slovenly about her dress or untidy in leaving things about.
— from Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw - She just huddled into bed, huddling up her mind in an untidy hurry and confusion, just as she left her clothes in an untidy heap on the floor.
— from The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs. Molesworth - " He felt like answering: "I was, till I saw you again;" but instead he stood up abruptly and glanced about him at the untidy sweltering park.
— from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - I'm quite happy to forgive you for it, as you ask, especially as I can't see anything at all that's been left untidy."
— from The Trial by Franz Kafka