INDEX:
1. to arrange something in a particular way
2. when something is organized so that it works well
3. when something is not organized well
4. a disorganized situation
5. someone who always organizes their work, life etc well
6. someone who organizes their work, life etc badly
to put things or people in a particular order : ↑ ARRANGE
to do something or arrange for something to happen : ↑ ARRANGE
see also
↑ ORDER
↑ PLAN
↑ SYSTEM
↑ EFFICIENT/NOT EFFICIENT
↑ EFFECTIVE/NOT EFFECTIVE
↑ TIDY
↑ UNTIDY
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1. to arrange something in a particular way
▷ organize also organise British /ˈɔːʳgənaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to arrange something so that it is clear, effective, or tidy :
▪ I like the way you’ve organized the information in the report.
▪ You need to organize your financial records and figure out exactly how much money you owe.
organize something into groups/piles/sections etc
▪ The paintings in the exhibition are organized into five sections.
organization also organisation British /ˌɔːʳgənaɪˈzeɪʃ ə nǁ-gənə-/ [uncountable noun]
the way something is organized :
▪ Getting the project finished on time required careful organization and a lot of teamwork.
▷ sort out /ˌsɔːʳt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to organize a group of things that is mixed up or untidy, or organize a lot of information that is confusing or unclear :
sort out something
▪ After class we needed time to sort out the enormous amount of information we had been given.
▪ First let’s sort out all the pieces before we try putting them together.
sort something out
▪ When are you going to sort all these files out?
▷ structure /ˈstrʌktʃəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to carefully organize a piece of writing or a system so that it is easy to understand or use :
▪ I have structured the book so that the main points are revisited several times.
▪ If we structure the meeting effectively, I think we should be able to cover everything.
structure [uncountable noun]
▪ The structure of the U.S. education system lacks centralization.
2. when something is organized so that it works well
▷ organized also organised British /ˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
arranged in a way that is effective and likely to be successful :
▪ Tonight after supper we want to have a more organized discussion.
▪ Bernstein was convinced that an organized effort had been made to conceal the facts of the case.
▪ Anti-war dissent erupted into organized demonstrations several times in the Johnson administration.
▷ well-organized also well-organised British /ˌwel ˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
organized in a careful and thorough way, so that everything works very well :
▪ The exhibition was very well organized.
▪ Both candidates ran effective well-organized campaigns.
▪ A well-organized network of women’s groups has led the call for equal rights.
▷ structured /ˈstrʌktʃəʳd/ [adjective]
information, methods, or systems that are structured are organized so that they have a clear and carefully organized structure that is easy to use or understand :
▪ a structured learning plan
▪ The situation has made us aware of the need for a more structured approach to dealing with prisoners’ problems.
well-structured
▪ Here are some steps for creating a well-structured document.
highly structured
▪ The social workers’ home visits are highly structured, with specific goals and learning objectives.
▷ well-run /ˌwel ˈrʌn/ [adjective]
a business or organization that is well-run is efficient because of good management and organization :
▪ The Klausner is a comfortable well-run hotel.
▪ The city’s transportation system is clean, safe, and well run.
▷ well-ordered /ˌwel ˈɔːʳdəʳd◂/ [adjective]
a well-ordered place, organization, way of life etc has been carefully organized so that nothing goes wrong, nothing unexpected happens, and everything is where it should be :
▪ Mary has such a well-ordered household - it makes ours look like total chaos.
▪ The town was a neat, well-ordered, red brick town dotted with trees.
▷ order /ˈɔːʳdəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
a situation in which everything is controlled, well organized, and correctly arranged :
▪ Can we have a bit of order here? Someone straighten those desks out to start with!
impose order
give something order
▪ He developed a filing system to try to impose order on the mass of information.
3. when something is not organized well
▷ disorganized also disorganised British /dɪsˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
not arranged according to any kind of order or plan :
▪ She gave a long disorganized speech that left everyone confused.
totally/completely disorganized
▪ Her files were completely disorganized - she could never find anything she wanted.
▪ a totally disorganized rescue effort
▷ badly organized also badly organised British /ˌbædli ˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
not well organized - use this about events or activities that are not successful, because they have not been planned well :
▪ The festival was very badly organized - nobody seemed to know what they were doing.
▪ There was widespread criticism that the relief operation was slow and badly organized.
▷ badly run /ˌbædli ˈrʌn/ [adjective]
a business or organization that is badly run produces bad results because it is badly managed or organized :
▪ The company is not badly run, but it still has not made a profit.
▪ Critics say that the mayor’s office is badly run and corrupt.
▷ chaotic /keɪˈɒtɪkǁ-ˈɑːtɪk/ [adjective]
extremely disorganized :
▪ The city is a sprawling chaotic metropolis of some eight million residents.
▪ Newscasts continued to broadcast images of the chaotic minutes after the shooting.
▪ We flew on the day after Christmas and the situation at the airport was completely chaotic.
▷ be a mess/be a shambles /biː ə ˈmes, biː ə ˈʃæmb ə lz/ [verb phrase] informal
if a situation or event is a mess or a shambles, it is very badly organized or badly controlled, and nothing good or useful is being achieved :
▪ The social security system in this country is a mess.
a complete/hopeless etc mess
▪ The whole conference was a complete mess from start to finish.
in a mess/shambles
▪ The prolonged war has left the nation’s economy in a shambles.
▷ in disarray /ɪn ˌdɪsəˈreɪ/ [adverb]
if a group such as a political party is in disarray, it is disorganized and no longer effective, especially because the people who belong to it cannot agree with each other and cannot work together :
▪ The defeated army retreated in disarray.
in complete/total etc disarray
▪ The Democrats were in complete disarray after last year’s disastrous elections.
throw something into disarray
make it become disorganized
▪ The chairman’s resignation threw the organization into disarray.
4. a disorganized situation
▷ chaos /ˈkeɪ-ɒsǁ-ɑːs/ [uncountable noun]
a situation in which everything or everyone seems to be extremely disorganized or completely out of control :
▪ The earthquake caused widespread chaos throughout the region.
in chaos
▪ When McNamara got the job, the department was in chaos.
complete/utter/total etc chaos
▪ Passengers spoke of complete chaos as the fire spread through the ship.
political/social/economic etc chaos
▪ Zbitski said the reform coalition must find a way to steer the country out of its political and economic chaos.
▷ disorder /dɪsˈɔːʳdəʳ/ [uncountable noun] formal
a situation in which things are disorganized or untidy, or people are disorganized and out of control :
in disorder
▪ After several hours of fierce fighting, the rebel troops retreated in disorder.
▪ The entire apartment was in disorder, but nothing seemed to have been stolen.
civil/social/public disorder
▪ The country’s civil war came at the end of a long period of social disorder.
▷ confusion /kənˈfjuːʒ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a situation in which no one is sure what is happening and there is a lot of noise and activity :
▪ The bombers escaped in the confusion following the explosion.
▪ We made our way through the noise and confusion of the marketplace to our hotel.
5. someone who always organizes their work, life etc well
▷ organized also organised British /ˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
▪ In order to do this job well, you have to be very organized.
well-organized
▪ Well-organized troops have succeeded in recapturing the town.
▷ businesslike /ˈbɪznɪs-laɪk, ˈbɪznəs-laɪk/ [adjective]
someone who is businesslike deals with people effectively and does not waste time on things that are not important :
▪ Ted was friendly but businesslike and very much in charge.
▪ Gates gave a brief, businesslike explanation of his plans for the company.
▪ The representatives were serious businesslike diplomats who disliked small talk.
▷ together /təˈgeðəʳ/ [adjective] informal
use this about someone who always thinks clearly and does things in a sensible, organized way that you admire :
▪ You’ll have to be a bit more together when you have kids.
▪ Rosie’s a really together person - she’ll be great as the coordinator.
6. someone who organizes their work, life etc badly
▷ disorganized /dɪsˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [adjective]
▪ Graham’s far too disorganized to be a good teacher.
▪ I’m sorry I’m so disorganized - I just haven’t had time to get everything ready.
completely/hopelessly disorganized
▪ It’s no use asking her to do anything - she’s completely disorganized.
▷ not very (well) organized /ˌnɒt veri (wel) ˈɔːʳgənaɪzd/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
use this to say that someone does not organize their work, life etc very well. Not very organized is not as strong as disorganized. :
▪ He’s a nice guy, but he’s not very organized and he forgets a lot of things.
▪ I’m not a very organized person - maybe you should ask somebody else to make the arrangements.
▷ somebody hasn’t got it together/somebody doesn’t have it together / somebody ˌhæz ə nt gɒt ɪt təˈgeðəʳǁ-gɑːt-, somebody ˌdʌz ə nt hæv ɪt təˈgeðəʳ/ informal
use this about someone who has not organized their work, life etc in a sensible way and therefore has been unable to be successful :
▪ He hasn’t got it together enough to go out and get a job.
▪ Kim has to do all the wedding planning, because her fiancé just doesn’t have it together.