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

It’s a neat trick, but Zhao’s film reduces “Hamlet” to a single thing rather than examining it as the multifaceted work that it is.

From Salon

A neat bookend to another traumatic 12 months in Welsh rugby's soap opera.

From BBC

A source close to the talks with the unions and business told me "you can't grid the negotiations" - in other words, the announcement couldn't be fitted into a neat government timetable.

From BBC

“He went Facebook viral, which I thought was kind of neat, but I wish he wouldn’t have gotten arrested for it to happen,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wirtz, who has struggled with the Premier League's physical intensity and is yet to look a neat fit either in a role behind Liverpool's striker or out on the left, was out injured against Forest.

From BBC

Related Words

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