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neat-freak

neat-freak

7 7.9
A person who likes to keep things very clean and tidy
  • noun
  • /nit-friːk/
  • Informal
translation icon : obsesivo de la limpieza
  • As a neat freak, she spends hours organizing her closet to make sure everything is in order.
  • a bit of a neat freak
  • usually neat freaks
  • self-proclaimed neat freak

Like if you're a neat freak and this person is, you know, an absolute mess, that's not going to work out well.

Examples

  • Especially if you are a neat freak and keep thinking it's dirt on your 'Berry.

    Blog text (1)
  • - She's a total neat freak, just like me.

  • Not so much of that as usual, actually, Amy being a bit of a neat freak.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Not with a neat freak like you around, Magpie.

  • I have a husband and a 4-year-old, and they were given a neat freak for a wife and mother!

    Blog text (31)
  • You're some kind of a neat-freak, huh?

  • I am by nature a neat freak, and regardless of my accomplishments, that is the one thing everyone comments on.

    Blog text (14)
  • You're a total neat freak, aren't you?

  • "You could say I am a bit of a neat freak, so I like things orderly and clean," says Mayo.

    Blog text (4)
  • However, a male friend of mine insists I am a "neat freak" because there is rarely a speck of dust or item out of place.

    Blog text (14)

Synonyms

priss
vsneat-freak
  • Offensive
6 8.7

A person who is too careful about being proper and easily shocked

is focused specifically on cleanliness and order rather than social propriety

Antonyms

slob
  • Offensive
58 3.1

A person who is messy and does not care about their clothes or home

How Neat

neat-freak
  • Informal
7 7.9
slob
  • Offensive
58 3.1

Surface Forms

neat-freak singular
neat-freaks plural

Morphology

neat-freak = neat + freak (transparent) = neat + freak

Clearly formed from 'neat' + 'freak' and directly means a person obsessive about neatness.

Etymology

Neat-freak combines neat ('clean or tidy') and freak ('a person who is very extreme about something'), so it paints a clear picture of someone who cares too much about order and cleanliness. Think of a person who can't stand even a small mess, and that is exactly what a neat-freak means.