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

Related Words

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