neat
1 Americanadjective
-
in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition.
a neat room.
- Antonyms:
- sloppy
-
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 solution.
a neat scheme;
a neat solution.
- Synonyms:
- wonderful, well-planned
-
Slang. great; excellent; fine.
What a neat car!
-
clever, dexterous, or apt.
She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.
- Synonyms:
- adroit
- Antonyms:
- maladroit
-
(of liquid, especially liquor) straight.
- Antonyms:
- mixed
-
Building Trades.
-
(of cement) without sand or other aggregate.
-
(of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.
-
-
net.
neat profits.
adverb
noun
plural
neatadjective
-
clean, tidy, and orderly
-
liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious
-
smoothly or competently done; efficient
a neat job
-
pat or slick
his excuse was suspiciously neat
-
(of alcoholic drinks) without added water, lemonade, etc; undiluted
-
a less common word for net 2
neat profits
-
slang good; pleasing; admirable
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A neat precis of Pakistan's World Cup campaign, overall.
From BBC
She felt reassured, however, by the neat brick buildings and the friendly guard who checked her ID at the gate.
Culiacán is a prosperous city, full of shopping malls, neat parks and fancy car dealerships.
From BBC
Even her appointments with her psychiatrists are done by video from her neat, minimalist home.
From Barron's
“It’s got to be one of those sideline Armani suits with his hands on his sides or something. That’s the best one, man, and his neat hairdo, looking stylish. That’s got to be it.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
