neat
- 01 A2 Elementary
arranged in a tidy way; organized and clean.
orderly and clean in appearance or procedure; characterized by precision and organization.
Simple“He kept his desk very neat, with every pen and paper in its place.”
In context“The accountant maintained a remarkably neat filing system, ensuring that any document from the last decade could be retrieved within seconds.”
Antonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
good, interesting, or impressive.
used colloquially to express approval or to describe something as clever or desirable.
Simple“That is a really neat trick; how did you do it?”
In context“It was a neat solution to a complex problem, satisfying both the engineering requirements and the tight budget constraints.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
served as a single liquid without adding water, ice, or other drinks.
referring to liquor served at room temperature without any water, ice, or mixer.
Simple“He ordered a scotch neat and sat by the fireplace to drink it.”
In context“The connoisseur insisted on tasting the vintage bourbon neat to fully appreciate the subtle notes of oak and vanilla.”
UsageUsually follows the noun in a bar order, such as 'a whisky neat'.
- 04 C1 Advanced
a chemical or liquid used on its own without being mixed with anything else.
referring to a liquid reagent or gas used without a solvent or cosolvent.
Simple“The experiment requires the use of neat acid, so please wear gloves.”
In context“The reaction was performed under neat conditions to prevent the solvent from interfering with the delicate molecular bonding process.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
simple and effective, but perhaps missing some details.
characterized by a simple elegance or precision that may occasionally overlook underlying complexities.
Simple“The book provides a neat explanation of how the internet works.”
In context“While the theory offers a neat summary of the events, it fails to account for the political motivations of the secondary characters.”
From Middle English nete, net, nette, from Anglo-Norman neit (“good, desirable, clean”), a variant of Old French net, nette (“clean, clear, pure”), from Latin nitidus (“gleaming”), derived from nitēre (“to shine”). Doublet of net and nitid. Cognate with German nett (“nice, kind”). Compare also nait.
From Middle English nete, neat, from Old English nēat (“animal, beast, ox, cow, cattle”), from Proto-West Germanic naut, from Proto-Germanic nautą (“foredeal, profit, property, livestock”), from Proto-Indo-European *newd- (“to acquire, make use of”). Cognate with Dutch noot (“cow, cattle”, in compounds), dialectal German Noß (“livestock”), Alemannic German Nooss (“young sheep or goat”), Swedish nöt (“cattle”), Icelandic naut (“cattle, bull”) and Faroese neyt (“cattle”). More at note.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.