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.

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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.

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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

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neat ² British  

/ niːt /

noun

1. archaic a domestic bovine animal

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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

An Elder male with neat braids and a navy-blue bandana gave him a hug.

From Literature

At the top of each page, in Pops’s neat block script, is the title of each puzzle.

From Literature

The interior was neat and cozy—one bedroom, a good-sized kitchen, a narrow dining space, and two wing-backed chairs in front of a hearth.

From Literature

Other than a copy of Bellamy's autobiography on the desk, there is little else decorative in this neat, sparse office at Dragon Park.

From BBC

And polls suggest the outcome won't be neat or ordered but, in reality, a bit of a mess.

From BBC

Related Words

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