adjectiveadverb

ordentlich

properly · tidy · neat · proper

Etwas ist sauber, gut geordnet und aufgeräumt.

Definition & meaning

Ordentlich has several related meanings:

Neat or tidy: arranged in a clean, orderly way.
Das Zimmer ist ordentlich. — “The room is tidy.”
Proper, correct, or well done: done according to rules or in a careful, competent way.
Er hat seine Arbeit ordentlich erledigt. — “He did his work properly.”
Decent or respectable: describing someone or something acceptable and of good quality.
Sie hat einen ordentlichen Eindruck gemacht. — “She made a decent impression.”
Quite a lot / considerable in informal use, especially as an adverb.
Das kostet ordentlich Geld. — “That costs quite a lot of money.”

Grammar & Word origin

Ordentlich is an adjective and can also be used adverbially. As an adjective, it takes endings according to the noun and its grammatical context. Its comparative forms are ordentlicher and am ordentlichsten .

It is derived from Ordnung , meaning “order,” with the suffix -lich, which forms adjectives. The core idea is therefore “in keeping with order.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms vary with the intended meaning:

sauber — “clean”; emphasizes cleanliness rather than neat arrangement.
aufgeräumt — “tidy”; usually refers to a space or arrangement.
korrekt — “correct” or “proper”; emphasizes accuracy or compliance with rules.
anständig — “decent” or “respectable”; often describes behavior or character.
beträchtlich — “considerable”; can replace the informal sense “quite a lot,” but sounds more formal.

Possible antonyms include:

unordentlich — “messy” or “untidy.”
schlampig — “sloppy”; suggests carelessness, often more strongly than “untidy.”
falsch — “wrong”; contrasts with the “correct” sense, but not with “neat” or “considerable.”