neat

¹ American  

[neet] / nit /

adjective

neater, neatest

1. in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition.

   a neat room.

   Synonyms:

   smart, spruce

   Antonyms:

   sloppy

2. habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits.

   a neat person.

3. of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc..

   a neat cottage.

4. cleverly effective in character or execution: a neat solution.

   a neat scheme;

   a neat solution.

   Synonyms:

   wonderful, well-planned

5. Slang. great; excellent; fine.

   What a neat car!

6. clever, dexterous, or apt.

   She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.

   Synonyms:

   adroit

   Antonyms:

   maladroit

7. (of liquid, especially liquor) straight.

   Synonyms:

   pure, unmixed

   Antonyms:

   mixed

8. Building Trades.

   1. (of cement) without sand or other aggregate.

   2. (of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.

9. net.

   neat profits.

---

adverb

1. Informal. neatly.

neat ² American  

[neet] / nit /

noun

plural

neat

1. an animal of the genus Bos; a bovine, as a cow or ox.

---

neat ¹ British  

/ niːt /

adjective

1. clean, tidy, and orderly

2. liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious

3. smoothly or competently done; efficient

   a neat job

4. pat or slick

   his excuse was suspiciously neat

5. (of alcoholic drinks) without added water, lemonade, etc; undiluted

6. a less common word for net 2

   neat profits

7. slang good; pleasing; admirable

---

neat ² British  

/ niːt /

noun

1. archaic a domestic bovine animal

---

Other Word Forms

• neatly adverb
• neatness noun

Etymology

Origin of neat¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net “spruce, trim, clean,” from Middle French, from Latin nitidus “shining, polished, handsome, spruce,” equivalent to nit(ēre) “to shine” + -idus adjective suffix; -id ⁴

Origin of neat²

First recorded before 900; Middle English net, nete, nette, Old English nēat, cognate with Old Norse naut, Middle Dutch noot; akin to Old English nēotan “to use, possess”

Example Sentences

I even put a gold ribbon round it and tied it in a neat bow.

From Literature

Cooper describes the "Scelsh" label as interesting - as in this case it shows people's social attitudes about what the accent sounds like is shaped by contact between communities rather than neat borders on a map.

From BBC

If I wanted neat lines and sharp details, the stitches would have to be tiny.

From Literature

He was dressed in the uniform of a British soldier, his bright red jacket neat and pressed over tight-fitting pants and high black boots.

From Literature

A neat precis of Pakistan's World Cup campaign, overall.

From BBC

Related Words

• accurate
• elegant
• immaculate
• orderly
• precise
• sleek
• slick
• smart
• spotless
• tidy
• well-kept