neat

Everyday

1. Tidy and in good order: «a neat bedroom». tree →
2. Done carefully and clearly: «neat handwriting». tree →
3. (informal, especially US) Very good, cool: «That's a neat trick!» tree →
4. Clever and simple: «a neat solution». tree →
5. (of a drink) With no water or ice added. tree →

In the lessons

In school: «neat handwriting», «keep your work neat», «a neat drawing»; neat work is easier to read and check, especially in maths with numbers lined up in columns. In everyday life: «keep your room neat». Phrases: «neat and tidy», «neat handwriting», «That's neat!».

Examples

• Keep your desk neat and tidy. tree →
• She has very neat handwriting. tree →
• Line up your numbers neatly in columns. tree →
• Wow, that's a neat trick! tree →
• He folded his clothes in a neat pile. tree →
• Using a pattern was a neat way to solve the puzzle. tree →
• My room is neater than my brother's. tree →
• Little as Geppetto’s house was, it was neat and comfortable. tree →

Note

Comparative: neater, neatest. Adverb: neatly; noun: neatness. Neat in work does not mean fast; it means careful.