Neatly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Related Entry: Neat (adjective)

Neat is a different word from Neatly. The synonyms below are for neat, not for neatly.

1. being clean and in good order

   "keep the kitchen neat so the cook doesn't have to work around piles of dirty dishes"

   similar: antiseptic, bandbox, crisp, groomed, kempt, orderly, picked up, prim, shipshape, smug, snug, tidied, tidy, trig, trim, uncluttered, well-groomed
   related: dapper, natty, saucy, smart, spiffy, spruce, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, rakish, sleek, streamlined, taut, organized, straight, systematic
   opposite: disheveled, disordered, disorderly, messy, mussed, mussy, sloven, slovenly, unkempt, untidy
   near: scruffy, seedy, shabby, slipshod, sloppy, dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, sordid, squalid, dowdy, frowsy, rumpled, tousled, tumbled, disorganized, unsystematic

2. free from added matter

   "I like my soda neat, so skip the ice cubes"

   similar: absolute, fine, plain, pure, purified, refined, straight, unadulterated, unalloyed, undiluted, unmixed
   related: clarified, filtered, clean, fresh, taintless, uncontaminated, uncorrupted, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, rendered, tried, concentrated, full-bodied, strong, uncombined
   opposite: adulterated, alloyed, diluted, impure, mixed
   near: befouled, besmirched, contaminated, corrupted, debased, defiled, fouled, polluted, soiled, spoiled, sullied, tainted, unclarified, amalgamated, blended, coalesced, combined, commingled, compounded, incorporated, intermingled, intermixed, merged, mingled, conjoined, fused, joined, linked, united, cheapened, doctored, watered-down

3. of the very best kind

   "that new skateboard park is neat"

   similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
   related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
   opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
   near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

4. following a set method, arrangement, or pattern

   "regime change is rarely a neat process, particularly in a country where a coup d'état is more likely to occur than an election"

   similar: methodical, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized
   related: ordered, regularized, standardized, structured, accurate, clocklike, correct, exact, precise, detailed, specific
   opposite: disorganized, haphazard, hit-or-miss, immethodical, irregular, nonsystematic, patternless, planless, systemless, unsystematic
   near: chaotic, disordered, disorderly, shambolic (chiefly British), unordered