[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/neat/)

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# neat

adjective (neat, neater, neatest)

«neat» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Tidy and in good order: «a neat bedroom». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#m1)
2. Done carefully and clearly: «neat handwriting». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#m2)
3. (informal, especially US) Very good, cool: «That's a neat trick!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#m3)
4. Clever and simple: «a neat solution». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#m4)
5. (of a drink) With no water or ice added. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#m5)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x1)
- She has very neat handwriting. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x2)
- Line up your numbers neatly in columns. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x3)
- Wow, that's a neat trick! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x4)
- He folded his clothes in a neat pile. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x5)
- Using a pattern was a neat way to solve the puzzle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x6)
- My room is neater than my brother's. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x7)
- Little as Geppetto’s house was, it was neat and comfortable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/#x8)

### Note

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

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «neat» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neat/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«neat» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/neat.html) on Mova free.