neat

¹

[neet]

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.

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 /

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

neat

²

/ niːt /

noun

1. archaic,  a domestic bovine animal

Other Word Forms

• neatly adverb
• neatness 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

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

Origin of neat²

Old English neat

Example Sentences

His fine cloths made possible a menswear range with neat, precise cuts that could be manufactured at scale.

From BBC

While the pool area with its hot tub, sauna and thoughtful landscaping is pure desert luxury, the rest of the hotel consists of 65 rectangular-shaped, free-standing rooms laid out in neat rows.

From Los Angeles Times

Clifford, who delivered an all-round impressive performance, then turned provider for Breach with a neat offload as the Red Roses got closer to their record World Cup scoreline.

From BBC

They run alongside raised banks of red earth, deep trenches and neat lines of anti-tank dragon's teeth concrete pyramids.

From BBC

Colonial gardens were neat, with walkways leading from the residence through the plant beds.

From Salon

Related Words

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