neat

1 of 3

adjective

ˈnēt 

neater; neatest

1

: free from dirt and disorder : habitually clean and orderly

kept her room neat

2

a

: marked by skill or ingenuity : adroit

a neat trick

b

: precise, systematic

mathematics … retains the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife

—Bertrand Russell

3

informal : very pleasant, fun, or enjoyable : wonderful, excellent

—used as a generalized term of enthusiastic approval

had a neat time!

What a neat idea!

We met some neat people at the party.

4

a

: free from admixture or dilution (see dilute entry 1 sense 3) : straight

neat brandy

neat cement

b

: free from irregularity : smooth

neat silk

5

: marked by tasteful simplicity

a neat outfit

6

: net

neat profit

neatly adverb

neatness noun

neat

2 of 3

adverb

1

: in a neat manner

his hair combed back neat

—J. M. Cain

2

: without admixture or dilution : straight

neat

3 of 3

noun

plural neat or neats

: the common domestic bovine (Bos taurus)

Synonyms

Adjective

• antiseptic
• bandbox
• crisp
• groomed
• kempt
• orderly
• picked up
• prim
• shipshape
• smug
• snug
• tidied
• tidy
• trig
• trim
• uncluttered
• well-groomed

Examples of neat in a Sentence

Adjective

He keeps his apartment neat and clean.

The store is always busy but they manage to keep the shelves stocked and neat.

a nice neat pile of magazines

Fold the paper to make a neat edge.

a neat man who always wore a suit

He's got a neat way of memorizing information.

There is, unfortunately, no neat solution to the problem.

She's a neat person who has traveled a lot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In contrast, his facial stubble is so neat, it could have been trimmed with a ruler. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

The Horizon Blue dial version’s blue leather strap is a neat aesthetic sub-plot. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

The fatigue problem has so far evaded a neat solution, but an international group of scientists is developing a new approach to the exosuit that could tackle fatigue via a system of controllably stiffening materials. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2024

Worn side-flipped, smooth and immaculately neat, Hadid kept the ends softly flipped and paired it with a monochrome outfit—complete with matrix sunglasses, a black knitted sweater layered under a black pinstripe blazer, black leggings, black loafers and white varsity socks. —Elle Turner, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2024

So much of late-night television is neat and organized. —David Pierce, The Verge, 31 Mar. 2024

The whole thing is a neat summary of the odd social-media economy: People post, and audiences feel entitled to weigh in on those posts, even when the conversation becomes completely unmoored from anything resembling reality. —Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024

This tool is a behind-the-scenes wizard for slicing and dicing keywords into neat clusters tailored by industry. —Ilan Nass, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Starting at the end opposite the cover’s opening, begin rolling the duvet and cover, moving back and forth between the sides of the bed as needed to keep the roll neat and even. —Justin Scuiletti, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Adverb

This lot also includes a neat-looking one-button joystick and several cassettes, including what appears to be a Star Wars game. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2023

Al on the microphone is a quality Scotch, poured neat. —Jason Gay, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022

Late last year Toyota announced ambitious electrification plans for its lineup and showed off a cornucopia of neat-looking concept cars, from a low-slung Lexus supercar to a butch Toyota Tacoma–like pickup truck and an angular Toyota sports car. —Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 14 June 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Adverb

Middle French net, from Latin nitidus bright, neat, from nitēre to shine; probably akin to Middle Irish níam luster

Noun

Middle English neet, from Old English nēat; akin to Old High German nōz head of cattle, Old English nēotan to make use of, Lithuanian nauda use

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Adverb

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing neat

• neat and tidy
• neat's-foot oil
• neat freak

Kids Definition

neat

adjective

ˈnēt

1

: being orderly and clean : tidy

a neat roommate

a neat closet

2

: not mixed or diluted : straight sense 3d

neat cement

3

: marked by tasteful simplicity

neat furnishings

4

: marked by skill or ingenuity : adroit

a neat dive

5

: fine entry 3 sense 4, splendid

had a neat time

neatly adverb

neatness noun

Etymology

Adjective

from earlier neat "bright, shining," from early French net (same meaning), from Latin nitidus (same meaning), from nitēre "to shine" — related to net entry 3

Word Origin

Today a popular use of the word neat is to mean "fine, splendid." It is a use that does not appear to have much in common with earlier meanings of the word such as "tidy" or "undiluted." But in its newest sense of "splendid," something that is "neat" might be thought of as a brilliant or shining example of the best of its kind. And this idea is very close to the origin of the word. Neat first began to be used in English about 400 years ago. It was borrowed from the early French word net, which in turn was taken from Latin nitidus, meaning "bright, shining." At first neat was used in English with the same meaning, as in "a neat new metal pin." This original sense in time fell out of use. But the idea of something bright and clean and sparkling and new gave us other meanings. One of these is the sense of "tidy," as in "a neat room or desk." Perhaps the idea of something clean also gave rise to the sense of neat meaning "not mixed or diluted" with anything. The idea of "tidy" certainly must have been the basis of the sense of "marked by tasteful simplicity." And since all of these senses suggest something that is viewed as ideal, it is easy to understand that they should lead to the newest sense of neat, meaning "splendid." When first used in English, splendid also meant "shining," coming from a Latin verb meaning "to shine."