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Definition of neat adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

neat

adjective
 
/niːt/
 
/niːt/
(comparative neater, superlative neatest)
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  1. tidy and in order; carefully done or arranged
    • She kept her desk extremely neat.
    • You've got very neat handwriting!
    • neat rows of books
    • She was wearing a neat black suit.
    • They sat in her neat and tidy kitchen.
    Extra Examples
    • I've made the front lawn all neat and tidy.
    • The handwriting was surprisingly neat.
    • Each resident is expected to keep their room neat.
    • He sorted his papers into a neat pile.
    • The desks were in neat rows.
    • This hairstyle is easy to keep neat and tidy.
    • We were soon passing the neat lawns of the suburbs.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • look
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    phrases
    • neat and tidy
    See full entry
  2. (of people) liking to keep things tidy and in order; looking tidy or doing things in a tidy way
    • Try and be neater!
    • He had a neat methodical mind.
    • By nature he was clean and neat.
    • (informal) Don't be a neat freak. Relax. A little clutter won't kill you.
    Extra Examples
    • She was a very efficient, neat woman.
    • Neil turned up the next day looking very clean and neat.
    • The children are always neat and tidy.
  3. small, with an attractive shape or appearance synonym trim
    • her neat figure
    • The puppies’ ears should be neat and in proportion to the head.
  4. simple but clever
    • a neat explanation
    • a neat solution to the problem
    • The film has a lot of neat tricks and clever editing.
    • We can't put people and events into neat little boxes.
  5. (North American English, informal) good; excellent
    • It's a really neat movie.
    • We had a great time—it was pretty neat.
  6. (British English)
    (also straight British and North American English)
    (especially of alcoholic drinks) not mixed with water or anything else
    • neat whisky
    Topics Drinksc2
  7. Word Originlate 15th cent. (in the sense ‘clean, free from impurities’): from French net, from Latin nitidus ‘shining’, from nitere ‘to shine’; related to net (adjective). The sense ‘bright’ (now obsolete) was recorded in English in the late 16th cent.
See neat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee neat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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