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Alternative forms[edit]


From order +‎ -ly.



orderly (comparative more orderly, superlative most orderly)

  1. Neat and tidy; possessing order.
    He has always kept an orderly kitchen, with nothing out of place.
  2. Methodical or systematic.
    We live in an orderly universe, where rules govern both the movements of planets and the binding of molecules.
  3. Peaceful; well-behaved.
  4. Being on duty; keeping order; conveying orders.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      aids-de-camp and orderly men

Derived terms[edit]



orderly (plural orderlies)

  1. A hospital attendant given a variety of non-medical duties.
  2. A soldier who carries out minor tasks for a superior officer.



orderly (comparative more orderly, superlative most orderly)

  1. (now rare) According to good order or practice; appropriately, in a well-behaved way. [from 15th c.]
    • Shakespeare
      You are blunt; go to it orderly.
  2. (obsolete) In order; in a particular order or succession; with a suitable arrangement. [15th-19th c.]
    • , II.12:
      Thus orderly marshaled, they take their course and swim whither their journey tends, as broad and wide behind as before [].
    • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p.149:
      And in the Tombe which is an arch made of mats, they lay them orderly.