organised

organised — adjective

1. arranged in a neat and logical way, with items placed according to a plan or sys

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

arranged in a neat and logical way, with items placed according to a plan or system

Example

The librarian keeps the travel guides organised by continent on the top shelf.

organised by [category] for grouping

Bao's recipe cards are organised by type of dish inside a wooden box.

passive: are organised by [type]

Common collocations
  • organised by category
  • organised by date
  • organised into sections
  • organised around a theme
  • well organised
  • neatly organised
  • highly organised
Synonyms
  • neat

    focuses on tidiness rather than a planned system; less formal

  • tidy

    emphasises visual order, common in everyday British English

  • systematic

    suggests a careful method or fixed plan, stronger than 'organised'

Antonyms
  • messy

    the most common opposite in everyday language

  • disorganised

    direct opposite, with the same grammatical structure

Grammar Patterns

organised + noun

be/look/seem + organised

organised + by/into/around + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used with adverbs such as 'well', 'neatly', or 'highly' to describe how well something is arranged.

Common Mistakes

The books are organise on the shelf.
The books are organised on the shelf.
'Organised' here is an adjective and must use the -ed ending, not the bare verb form.
She organised her desk so everything had a place.' (using verb when adjective fits better).
Her desk is organised so everything has a place.
Use the adjective form when describing the result or state, not the action.

2. able to manage time, tasks, and belongings in an orderly and efficient way, espe

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

able to manage time, tasks, and belongings in an orderly and efficient way, especially as a personal quality

Example

Sivan is so organised that she plans her meals a whole week in advance.

so organised that [result clause]

The night-shift nurse stays organised by writing checklists before each ward round.

stay organised + by [method]

Common collocations
  • very organised
  • extremely organised
  • highly organised
  • organised person
  • organised worker
  • organised approach
  • stay organised
  • get organised
  • organised about time
Synonyms
  • methodical

    suggests a careful step-by-step approach; slightly more formal

  • efficient

    focuses on achieving results with minimum wasted effort

  • orderly

    stresses keeping things in the right place or sequence

Antonyms
  • disorganised

    lacking the ability to plan or keep order

  • chaotic

    stronger and more negative, suggesting confusion rather than just poor planning

Grammar Patterns

[person] + be + organised

organised + about + noun phrase

organised + with + noun phrase

so organised that [clause]

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe a person's character or work habits. The opposite is 'disorganised'. Can be intensified with 'very', 'extremely', or 'highly'.

Common Mistakes

She is a very organise person.
She is a very organised person.
'Organised' is an adjective describing a person's character; the bare verb 'organise' is incorrect here.
I need to be more organise with my time.
I need to be more organised with my time.
Even after 'be', the adjective form with -ed is required.

3. arranged in advance by a company or organiser so that people only need to take p

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

arranged in advance by a company or organiser so that people only need to take part without handling the details themselves

Example

The Watanabe family booked an organised tour of the national parks in Hokkaido.

organised tour — pre-arranged travel

The school offers organised trips to the science museum every spring term.

Common collocations
  • organised tour
  • organised trip
  • organised visit
  • organised excursion
  • organised holiday
  • organised bus service
  • organised coach trip
  • organised activity
Synonyms
  • pre-arranged

    more general, can apply to any situation; slightly more formal

  • package

    used specifically for holidays where travel and accommodation are sold together

  • guided

    implies a guide leads the group, not just that the trip is pre-arranged

Antonyms
  • independent

    describes travel where you plan everything yourself

  • self-guided

    you travel without a guide but follow a suggested route

Grammar Patterns

organised + [travel noun]

organised + [event noun]

organised + [activity noun]

Usage Note

Almost always used before a noun (attributive position). Common in travel and tourism contexts. Frequently paired with 'tour', 'trip', 'visit', 'excursion', and 'holiday'.

Common Mistakes

We took a tour which organised by the hotel.
We took an organised tour arranged by the hotel.
'Organised' as an adjective goes before the noun, not in a relative clause with 'which'.
The organised tour was very organise.
The organised tour was very organised.
The adjective must keep the -ed ending in both attributive and predicative positions.

4. involving a group of people who coordinate their efforts in a planned way to ach

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

involving a group of people who coordinate their efforts in a planned way to achieve a shared aim

Example

The village set up an organised food bank to support families after the storm.

organised [collective initiative]

Police officers broke up an organised car theft network operating across three counties.

organised crime context: organised [illegal network]

Common collocations
  • organised crime
  • organised labour
  • organised network
  • organised group
  • organised resistance
  • organised protest
  • organised campaign
  • organised effort
  • organised charity
  • organised movement
Synonyms
  • coordinated

    emphasises that different people or parts work well together; more neutral in register

  • structured

    focuses on the framework or hierarchy of the group

  • systematic

    suggests a deliberate method or plan behind the group's actions

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

organised + [collective noun]

be + organised

become + organised

Usage Note

Common in news and formal writing. Often appears in set phrases such as 'organised crime', 'organised labour', and 'organised resistance'. Can be used both before nouns (attributive) and after linking verbs (predicative).

Common Mistakes

The protest was organised crime.' (confusing two meanings)
The protest was an organised demonstration.
'Organised crime' is a fixed phrase about illegal networks; do not use it to describe a lawful protest.
They were a organise group of volunteers.
They were an organised group of volunteers.
The -ed ending is mandatory for the adjective form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Organised, methodical, systematic, and efficient all describe someone who handles tasks in a planned way, but each word has a different focus. Organised emphasises the result — keeping belongings and schedules in order (She is organised and never misses a deadline). Methodical suggests a careful, step-by-step approach, often slow but thorough (He checked every data entry in a methodical way). Systematic implies a fixed system or framework that is applied consistently (The researcher took a systematic approach to labelling each sample). Efficient focuses on achieving results with minimum wasted time or effort (An efficient assistant files reports quickly without mistakes). While an organised person keeps things tidy, a methodical person works through every detail, a systematic person follows a clear method, and an efficient person prioritises speed and productivity. Choose organised for general life skills, methodical or systematic for detailed procedures, and efficient when time or resources are limited.

organised ↗methodicalsystematic ↗efficient ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • organised person
  • organised system
  • organised group
  • organised tour
  • organised crime

Adverbs

  • highly organised
  • well organised
  • neatly organised
  • carefully organised
  • loosely organised

Phrases

  • get organised
  • stay organised
  • become organised
  • keep things organised

Prepositions

  • organised by
  • organised into
  • organised around
  • organised for
  • organised according to

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Organised is formed from the verb organise plus the adjective suffix -ed. The verb organise entered English through French (organiser) from Latin (organizare), which ultimately comes from Greek organon, meaning a tool or instrument. The original idea was of parts being fitted together for a purpose. Over centuries the meaning broadened to arranging things systematically and, later, to coordinating people to work together in a planned way. The British spelling organise (with -ise) follows French influence, whereas American English favours organize (with -ize).