neat

¹

[ neet ]

adjective

, neat·er, neat·est.

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: well-planned, wonderful

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 ( def 16 ).

   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

[ neet ]

noun

, plural neat.

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

neat

¹

/ niːt /

noun

1. archaic.
   a domestic bovine animal

neat

²

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈneatly, adverb
• ˈneatness, noun

Other Words From

• neatly adverb
• neatness noun

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of neat¹

Old English neat

Origin of neat²

C16: from Old French net, from Latin nitidus clean, shining, from nitēre to shine; related to Middle Irish niam beauty, brightness, Old Persian naiba- beautiful

Example Sentences

I noticed the weight of a good lemon in my hand, the neat rows of spices on the shelves.

From Salon

Her brother, Mohammad el Zein, 55, had arrived earlier and swept the shards of glass into neat piles.

From New York Times

The book, labelled Roman Studies, was filled with neat handwriting and detailed sketches of an amphitheatre, Roman bathing systems and cities.

From BBC

The success marks a neat conclusion to a messy origin story.

From BBC

He understands all too well that life is just not that neat.

From New York Times

Related Words

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