neat

[ neet ]

/ nit /

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adjective, neat·er, neat·est.

in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition: a neat room.

habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits: a neat person.

of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.: a neat cottage.

cleverly effective in character or execution: a neat scheme; a neat solution.

Slang. great; wonderful; fine: What a neat car!

clever, dexterous, or apt: She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.

straight(def 33).

Building Trades.

(of cement) without sand or other aggregate.
(of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.

net: neat profits.

adverb

Informal. neatly.

Nearby words

Origin of neat

1300–50; Middle English net spruce, trim, clean < Middle French < Latin nitidus shining, polished, handsome, spruce, equivalent to nit(ēre) to shine + -idus -id⁴

SYNONYMS FOR neat

1. spruce, smart. 4. finished, well-planned. 6. adroit. 7. unmixed, pure.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR neat ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR neat

1. sloppy. 6. maladroit. 7. mixed.

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Related formsneat·ly, adverbneat·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neatly

They also give the impression that you have a neatly organized life.
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He caught the first round in his thin and neatly clipped beard, right under the jaw.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The neighbors first on the scene wondered how Taylor could have died “so neatly.”
How to Get Away With a Hollywood Murder|Tim Teeman|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he looks at the neatly compiled jigsaw puzzle of his life, however, he feels empty, deeply dissatisfied.
Is ‘Satisfaction’ a Love Story That’s Too Real About Sex and Marriage?|David Masciotra|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Neatly hung laundry still dangled over the main street from the second-floor balcony of an apartment above a blown-out storefront.
Who Is Behind Gaza's Mass Execution?|Jesse Rosenfeld|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is washed and anointed, the usual marks are made with sandal paste and ashes as in life, and it is neatly clothed.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
His uniform was spotless, and it was pressed as neatly as if it had just come from the hands of a tailor.
The Scouts of Stonewall|Joseph A. Altsheler
The neatly cut swaths of the little man with the jimdandy mower came to a dramatic end in the middle of the yard.
Greener Than You Think|Ward Moore
Evidently she found it mirth provoking by contrast with her own neatly efficient garb.
Armageddon--2419 A.D.|Philip Francis Nowlan
It was neatly cut from the girdle, in the shape of a shield, a little over a foot in width.
The Lance of Kanana|Harry W. French

British Dictionary definitions for neatly

neat

/ (niːt) /

adjective

clean, tidy, and orderly

liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious

smoothly or competently done; efficienta neat job

pat or slickhis excuse was suspiciously neat

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

a less common word for net 2 neat profits

slang, mainly US and Canadian good; pleasing; admirable

Derived Formsneatly, adverbneatness, noun

Word Origin for neat

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

neat

/ (niːt) /

noun plural neat

archaic, or dialect a domestic bovine animal

Word Origin for neat

Old English neat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for neatly

neat

adj.

1540s, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-French neit, Middle French net "clear, pure" (12c.), from Latin nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," literally "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE root *nei- "to shine" (cf. Middle Irish niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" Old Irish noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh nwyfiant "gleam, splendor").

Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1570s. Of liquor, "straight," c.1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), which is first attested 1570s. Informal sense of "very good" first recorded 1934 in American English; variant neato is teenager slang, first recorded 1968. Related: Neatly; neatness.

neat

"ox, bullock, cow," Old English neat "ox, beast, animal," from Proto-Germanic *nautam "thing of value, possession" (cf. Old Frisian nat, Middle Dutch noot, Old High German noz, Old Norse naut), from PIE root *neud- "to make use of, enjoy."

neat

adjective, neat·er, neat·est.

adverb

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Origin of neat

Examples from the Web for neatly

neat

adjective

Word Origin for neat

neat

noun plural neat

Word Origin for neat

neat

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