neatest
adjective
1.
in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition: a neat room.
2.
habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits: a neat person.
3.
of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.: a neat cottage.
4.
cleverly effective in character or execution: a neat scheme; a neat solution.
5.
Slang. great; wonderful; fine: What a neat car!
6.
clever, dexterous, or apt: She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.
7.
straight ( def 33 ).
8.
Building Trades.
a.
(of cement) without sand or other aggregate.
b.
(of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.
9.
net: neat profits.
adverb
10.
Informal. neatly.
00:10
Neatest
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English net spruce, trim, clean < Middle French < Latin nitidus shining, polished, handsome, spruce, equivalent to nit(ēre) to shine + -idus -id4
1300–50; Middle English net spruce, trim, clean < Middle French < Latin nitidus shining, polished, handsome, spruce, equivalent to nit(ēre) to shine + -idus -id4
Related forms
neat·ly, adverb
neat·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. spruce, smart. 4. finished, well-planned. 6. adroit. 7. unmixed, pure.
1. spruce, smart. 4. finished, well-planned. 6. adroit. 7. unmixed, pure.
Antonyms
1. sloppy. 6. maladroit. 7. mixed.
1. sloppy. 6. maladroit. 7. mixed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To neatest
Collins
World English Dictionary
neat1 (niːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | clean, tidy, and orderly |
| 2. | liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious |
| 3. | smoothly or competently done; efficient: a neat job |
| 4. | pat or slick: his excuse was suspiciously neat |
| 5. | (of alcoholic drinks) without added water, lemonade, etc; undiluted |
| 6. | a less common word for net : neat profits |
| 7. | slang chiefly (US), (Canadian) good; pleasing; admirable |
| [C16: from Old French net, from Latin nitidus clean, shining, from nitēre to shine; related to Middle Irish niam beauty, brightness, Old Persian naiba- beautiful] | |
| 'neatly1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'neatness1 | |
| —n | |
| neat2 (niːt) | |
| —n , pl neat | |
| archaic, dialect or a domestic bovine animal | |
| [Old English neat] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
neat
1542, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-Fr. neit, from O.Fr. net "clear, pure," from L. nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," lit. "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE base *nei-/*ni- "to shine" (cf. M.Ir. niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" O.Ir. noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh
nwyfiant "gleam, splendor"). Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1577. Sense of "straight liquor" is c.1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), first attested 1579. Informal sense of "very good" first recorded 1934 in Amer.Eng.; variant neato is teenager slang, first recorded 1968. Neatnik "excessively tidy person" is from 1959 (see -nik).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
neat definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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