nifty

1 of 2

adjective

nif·​ty ˈnif-tē 

niftier; niftiest

informal : very good: such as

a

: very attractive or appealing

nifty clothes

Jon Gnagy was an artist—you could tell this by the nifty goatee he wore …

—Andy Meisler

b

: very pleasant or enjoyable

a nifty performance

… this barrier isle off North Carolina's southernmost coast still provides a nifty getaway.

—Spike Gillespie

The Smithereens consistently present nifty, driving songs, quite involved by pop standards.

—David Hiltbrand

c

: very interesting or clever : ingenious

a nifty device

The museum's gift shop is well-stocked, complete with a nifty machine that, for $1, will crush a fresh penny into a copper medal bearing the likeness of T. Rex.

—Carl Wayne Arrington

Some investors are catching on to a nifty tax-saving trick allowable by Roth IRA rules.

—Karen Hube

d

: well-executed

A fan leaned out of the stands and made a nifty grab of the ricochet, and received a nice round of applause.

—George Vecsay

niftily

ˈnif-tə-lē 

adverb

Harrison is an upwardly mobile … young man with a wife, son and a niftily restored house in San Francisco.

—John J. O'Connor

nifty

2 of 2

noun

plural nifties

: something that is nifty

especially : a clever or neatly turned phrase or joke

Synonyms

Adjective

• excellent
• wonderful
• awesome
• terrific
• great
• lovely
• fantastic
• fabulous
• superb
• beautiful
• marvelous
• marvellous
• stellar
• neat
• fine
• hot
• cool [slang]
• prime

Noun

• joke
• laugh
• boffo
• funny
• gag
• joking

Examples of nifty in a Sentence

Adjective

a nifty pair of shoes

This nifty little machine can do just about anything.

Noun

though ostensibly a drama, the play is filled with zingy little nifties that lighten the mood

that joke was a nifty

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But Comfort still stays nice and smooth—remember, McLarens don’t use sway bars, instead relying on a nifty hydraulic roll control system. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

The thrill of Bella exploring her vampiric powers is truly a treat; the lamb becomes the lioness thanks to her own super-speed, inexhaustible strength and nifty force field-generation. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 1 July 2025

Light up your campground in style with Black Diamond’s nifty Apollo Lantern. —Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 27 June 2025

Premiere Pro has a nifty AI tool that detects most video formats and automatically applies the appropriate color corrections. —PC Magazine, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

origin unknown

First Known Use

Adjective

1865, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nifty

• fifty
• shifty
• thrifty
• unthrifty

Kids Definition

nifty

adjective

nif·​ty

ˈnif-tē

niftier; niftiest

informal

: very good : very attractive

nifty noun