What is the difference between tidy and clean?

As verbs,
tidy is a hypernym of
clean; that is, tidy is a
word with a broader meaning than clean:

clean (noun)tidy (noun)clean (adjective)tidy (adjective)clean (verb)tidy (verb)clean (adverb)tidy (adverb)

Arranged neatly and in order.

‘Keep Britain tidy.’;

Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.

Not messy; neat and controlled.

‘Are these dishes clean?’; ‘Your room is finally clean!’;

(colloquial) Satisfactory; comfortable.

In an unmarked condition.

‘Put a clean sheet of paper into the printer.’;

(colloquial) Generous, considerable.

‘The scheme made a tidy profit.’;

(aerodynamics) Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear.

(obsolete) In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.

‘The cargo hold is clean.’; ‘Mister, I want to see a clean dinner plate or there’ll be no dessert for you.’;

(obsolete) Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.

(of metal) Having relatively few impurities.

Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.

Free of immorality or criminality.

To make tidy; to neaten.

Pure, especially morally or religiously.

‘Our kids can watch this movie because it is clean.’;

A tabletop container for pens and stationery.

‘a desk tidy’;

Not having used drugs or alcohol.

‘I’ve been clean this time for eight months.’;

A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.

(of criminal, driving, etc. records) Without restrictions or penalties, or someone having such a record.

‘Unlike you, I’ve never caused any accidents — my record is still clean!’;

(dated) A child’s pinafore.

(informal) Not in possession of weapons or contraband such as drugs.

‘I’m clean, officer. You can go ahead and search me if you want.’;

(informal) Devoid of profanity.

(Wales) Expression of positive agreement, usually in reply to a question.

Smooth, exact, and performed well.

‘I’ll need a sharper knife to make clean cuts.’; ‘a clean leap over a fence’;

The wren; – called also tiddy.

‘The tidy for her notes as delicate as they.’;

(obsolete) Total; utter.

A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, or the like.

(informal) Cool or neat.

‘Wow, Dude, those are some clean shoes ya got there!’;

(health) Being free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

‘I want to make sure my fiancé is clean before we are married.’;

Being in proper time; timely; seasonable; favorable; as, tidy weather.

‘If weather be fair and tidy.’;

That does not damage the environment.

‘clean energy;’; ‘clean coal’;

Arranged in good order; orderly; appropriate; neat; kept in proper and becoming neatness, or habitually keeping things so; as, a tidy lass; their dress is tidy; the apartments are well furnished and tidy.

Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.

‘clean land;’; ‘clean timber’;

To put in proper order; to make neat; as, to tidy a room; to tidy one’s dress.

Free from restraint or neglect; complete; entire.

To make things tidy.

‘I have tidied and tidied over and over again.’;

receptacle that holds odds and ends (as sewing materials)

Ascended without falling.

put (things or places) in order;

‘Tidy up your room!’;

Removal of dirt.

‘This place needs a clean.’;

marked by good order and cleanliness in appearance or habits;

‘a tidy person’; ‘a tidy house’; ‘a tidy mind’;

(weightlifting) The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.

(used of hair) neat and tidy;

‘a nicely kempt beard’;

(transitive) To remove dirt from a place or object.

‘Can you clean the windows today?’;

large in amount or extent or degree;

‘it cost a considerable amount’; ‘a goodly amount’; ‘received a hefty bonus’; ‘a respectable sum’; ‘a tidy sum of money’; ‘a sizable fortune’;

(transitive) To tidy up, make a place neat.

‘Clean your room right now!’;

To remove equipment from a climbing route after it was previously lead climbed.

(intransitive) To make things clean in general.

‘She just likes to clean. That’s why I married her.’;

To remove unnecessary files, etc. from (a directory, etc.).

To brush the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep.

To purge a raw of any blemishes caused by the scanning process such as brown tinting and poor color contrast.

To remove guts and/or scales of a butchered animal.

Fully and completely.

‘He was stabbed clean through.’; ‘You must be clean mad.’;

Free from dirt or filth; as, clean clothes.

Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects; as, clean land; clean timber.

Free from awkwardness; not bungling; adroit; dexterous; as, a clean trick; a clean leap over a fence.

Free from errors and vulgarisms; as, a clean style.

‘When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.’;

Free from moral defilement; sinless; pure.

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God.’; ‘That I am whole, and clean, and meet for Heaven’;

Free from ceremonial defilement.

Free from that which is corrupting to the morals; pure in tone; healthy.

Well-proportioned; shapely; as, clean limbs.

Without limitation or remainder; quite; perfectly; wholly; entirely.

‘All the people were passed clean over Jordan.’;

Without miscarriage; not bunglingly; dexterously.

To render clean; to free from whatever is foul, offensive, or extraneous; to purify; to cleanse.

a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead

make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from;

‘Clean the stove!’; ‘The dentist cleaned my teeth’;

remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits;

‘Clean the turkey’;

clean and tidy up the house;

‘She housecleans every week’;

clean one’s body or parts thereof, as by washing;

‘clean up before you see your grandparents’; ‘clean your fingernails before dinner’;

‘This stove cleans easily’;

deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.;

‘The other players cleaned him completely’;

remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely;

‘The boys cleaned the sandwich platters’; ‘The trees were cleaned of apples by the storm’;

remove while making clean;

‘Clean the spots off the rug’;

remove shells or husks from;

‘clean grain before milling it’;

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits;

‘children with clean shining faces’; ‘clean white shirts’; ‘clean dishes’; ‘a spotlessly clean house’; ‘cats are clean animals’;

free of restrictions or qualifications;

‘a clean bill of health’; ‘a clear winner’;

(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims;

‘efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings’; ‘clear laughter like a waterfall’; ‘clear reds and blues’; ‘a light lilting voice like a silver bell’;

free from impurities;

‘clean water’; ‘fresh air’;

without difficulties or problems;

‘a clean test flight’;

ritually clean or pure

not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination;

‘a clean fuel’; ‘cleaner and more efficient engines’; ‘the tactical bomb is reasonably clean’;

(of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers;

‘good clean fun’; ‘a clean joke’;

free from sepsis or infection;

‘a clean (or uninfected) wound’;

‘led a clean life’;

(of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections;

‘fair copy’; ‘a clean manuscript’;

of a surface; not written or printed on;

‘blank pages’; ‘fill in the blank spaces’; ‘a clean page’; ‘wide white margins’;

marked by or calling for sportsmanship or fair play;

‘a clean fight’; ‘a sporting solution of the disagreement’; ‘sportsmanlike conduct’;

thorough and without qualification;

‘a clean getaway’; ‘a clean sweep’; ‘a clean break’;

(of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense;

not carrying concealed weapons

free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed;

‘he landed a clean left on his opponent’s cheek’; ‘a clean throw’; ‘the neat exactness of the surgeon’s knife’;

free of drugs;

‘after a long dependency on heroin she has been clean for 4 years’;

completely; used as intensifiers;

‘clean forgot the appointment’; ‘I’m plumb (or plum) tuckered out’;

in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating;

‘they played fairly’;

free from dirt, marks, or stains

‘keep the wound clean’; ‘the room was spotlessly clean’;

having been washed since last worn or used

‘a clean blouse’;

(of paper) not yet marked by writing or drawing

‘he copied the advert on to a clean sheet of paper’;

(of a person) attentive to personal hygiene

‘by nature he was clean and neat’;

free from pollutants or unpleasant substances

‘we will create a cleaner, safer environment’;

relating to a diet consisting of unprocessed, unrefined, and nutrient-rich food, typically eaten as small meals throughout the day

‘I’m amazed at how much energy clean eating gives me’; ‘you have to eat clean foods to change your physique’;

free from or producing relatively little radioactive contamination.

(of timber) free from knots

‘the forester and the sawyer reject timber that is not straight and clean’;

morally uncontaminated; pure; innocent

not sexually offensive or obscene

‘it’s all good clean fun’;

showing or having no record of offences or crimes

‘a clean driving licence is essential for the job’;

played or done according to the rules

‘we are not completely sure that the elections will be clean and fair’;

not possessing or containing anything illegal, especially drugs or stolen goods

‘I searched him and his luggage, and he was clean’;

(of a person) not taking or having taken drugs or alcohol

‘I had been here for only a fortnight and clean for three weeks’;

free from ceremonial defilement, according to Mosaic Law or other religious codes.

free from irregularities; having a smooth edge or surface

‘a clean fracture of the leg’;

having a simple, well-defined, and pleasing shape

‘the clean lines and pared-down planes of modernism’;

(of an action) smoothly and skilfully done

‘he took a clean catch’;

(of a taste, sound, or smell) giving a clear and distinctive impression to the senses; sharp and fresh

‘clean, fresh, natural flavours’;

so as to be free from dirt, marks, or unwanted matter

‘the room had been washed clean’;

in a way that involves the consumption of unprocessed, unrefined, and nutrient-rich food

‘plain oatmeal is a staple for anyone who’s eating clean’;

used to emphasize the completeness of a reported action, condition, or experience

‘he was knocked clean off his feet’; ‘I clean forgot her birthday’;

make clean; remove dirt, marks, or stains from

‘clean your teeth properly after meals’; ‘I cleaned up my room’;

remove the innards of (fish or poultry) prior to cooking

‘there are a variety of ways to cook the herring, but it must first be gutted and cleaned’;

an act of cleaning something

‘he gave the room a clean’;

In transitive terms the difference between tide and clean

is that tide is to cause to float with the tide; to drive or carry with the tide or stream while clean is to tidy up, make a place neat.

As verbs the difference between tidy and clean

is that tidy is to make tidy; to neaten while clean is to remove dirt from a place or object.

As nouns the difference between tidy and clean

is that tidy is a tabletop container for pens and stationery while clean is removal of dirt.

As an interjection tidy

is expression of positive agreement, usually in reply to a question.

As a proper noun Tidy

is in a state of being clean.

In intransitive terms the difference between tide and clean

is that tide is to pour a tide or flood while clean is to make things clean in general.

In informal terms the difference between tidy and clean

is that tidy is generous, considerable while clean is cool or neat.

As adjectives the difference between tidy and clean

is that tidy is in good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable while clean is Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.