or·der·ly
ˈȯr-dər-lē 
1
2
: well behaved : peaceful
an orderly crowd
orderly
adverb
plural orderlies
1
: a soldier assigned to perform various services (such as carrying messages) for a superior officer
2
: a hospital attendant who does routine or heavy work (such as cleaning, carrying supplies, or moving patients)
Synonyms
Examples of orderly in a Sentence
Adjective
an orderly arrangement of pictures
She sorted the information into orderly categories.
Outside the theater, an orderly line of people waited to buy tickets.
an orderly crowd of protesters
Please exit the building in an orderly fashion.
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
Within a few years Macondo was a village that was more orderly and hard working than any known until then by its three hundred inhabitants.
—Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2024
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 29 Nov. 2024
Even during a heatwave, would Ben send two surgeons out for ice rather than an orderly?
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for orderly 
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Adjective
This year, succession was relatively orderly after the president died in a helicopter crash.
—Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
Within a few years Macondo was a village that was more orderly and hard working than any known until then by its three hundred inhabitants.
—Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
Finally, did Kayce really need to choke out an orderly so as to explain how John might have been subdued?
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 29 Nov. 2024
Even during a heatwave, would Ben send two surgeons out for ice rather than an orderly?
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for orderly
Dictionary Entries Near orderly
Cite this Entry
“Orderly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orderly. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
orderly
1 of 2 adjective
or·der·ly
ˈȯrd-ər-lē
1
a
: arranged in some order or pattern
orderly rows of houses
b
: tidy entry 1 sense 1
kept my desk orderly
c
: regulated by law or system
an orderly universe
d
: methodical sense 2
an orderly thinker
2
: well behaved
an orderly crowd
orderliness
noun
orderly
adverb
orderly
2 of 2 noun
plural orderlies
1
: a soldier who carries messages and performs services for an officer
2
: a person who waits on others, cleans, and does general work in a hospital
Medical Definition
orderly
noun
or·der·ly
-lē
plural orderlies
: a hospital attendant who does routine or heavy work (as carrying supplies or moving patients)
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