neat
adj.-
1 tidy and organized (adj.) A2 Elementaryarranged in a tidy way; organized and clean.
orderly and clean in appearance or procedure; characterized by precision and organization.
ExampleHe kept his desk very neat, with every pen and paper in its place.
ExampleThe accountant maintained a remarkably neat filing system, ensuring that any document from the last decade could be retrieved within seconds.
- messy
- untidy
- disorganized
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2 cool or great (adj.) B1 Intermediate Informal American Englishgood, interesting, or impressive.
used colloquially to express approval or to describe something as clever or desirable.
ExampleThat is a really neat trick; how did you do it?
ExampleIt was a neat solution to a complex problem, satisfying both the engineering requirements and the tight budget constraints.
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3 drinks without ice (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediateserved as a single liquid without adding water, ice, or other drinks.
referring to liquor served at room temperature without any water, ice, or mixer.
ExampleHe ordered a scotch neat and sat by the fireplace to drink it.
ExampleThe 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'.
- diluted
- on the rocks
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4 undiluted chemicals (adj.) C1 Advanced Technical Sciencea 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.
ExampleThe experiment requires the use of neat acid, so please wear gloves.
ExampleThe reaction was performed under neat conditions to prevent the solvent from interfering with the delicate molecular bonding process.
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5 clever and simple (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatesimple and effective, but perhaps missing some details.
characterized by a simple elegance or precision that may occasionally overlook underlying complexities.
ExampleThe book provides a neat explanation of how the internet works.
ExampleWhile 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.
- Adjectiveneat
- Adverbneatly