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neatly

neatly

93 1.0
To do something in a tidy and careful way
  • adverb
  • /ˈniːtli/
translation icon : ordenadamente
  • She kept her room neatly organized, with everything in its proper place.
  • fit neatly
  • summarize neatly
  • fall neatly into place

Because most people don't neatly fit into two camps.

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Examples

  • You seem to be a personable enough young man, nicely spoken, neatly dressed in brand new country gentlemen's clothing.

  • And I'll just rearrange things neatly on the screen.

  • Anyway, it should fit really neatly on my head.

  • And then you can see how neatly they finished.

  • Yes, let's put that back neatly in its place.

  • However, not every user study falls neatly into one of the three categories.

    Academic text (2015)
  • It was neatly done, sir.

  • Mrs. Hogendobber's mail was on the top, neatly bound with a thick rubber band.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Yet everything he owned was hanging neatly in his closet... and folded neatly in his footlocker.

  • The papers were stacked neatly on the desk, making it easy to find what I needed.

Synonyms

meticulously
vsneatly
32 8.3

With great care and close attention to small details

emphasizes overall order and care rather than exact precision
methodically
vsneatly
27 4.0

In an organized step by step way

relates to careful appearance and order rather than planned procedure
immaculately
vsneatly
5 5.5

In a very clean and perfect way

is milder, stressing normal neat order rather than perfect cleanliness
fastidiously
vsneatly
2 7.7

In a careful way that pays attention to small details and keeps things clean

is more general, indicating basic care and simple order rather than intensity
tidily
vsneatly
2 1.6

In a neat and organized way

is the common everyday adverb used for general careful arrangement
trimly
vsneatly
4.7

Someone arranges things in a neat and tidy way

focuses on general care and order rather than stylish presentation

Antonyms

20 1.0

In a way that you do something without thinking or paying attention

1 1.4

In a messy way that leaves food or paint everywhere

How Neat

immaculately
5 5.5
tidily
2 1.6
neatly
93 1.0
messily
1 1.4
carelessly
20 1.0

Surface Forms

neatly positive
neater comparative
neatest superlative

Morphology

neatly = neat (transparent) = neat + ly

The adverb is directly formed from the adjective 'neat' with the productive adverbial suffix '-ly', yielding the expected meaning 'in a tidy manner'.

Etymology

Neatly comes from the word neat, which originally meant 'clean' or 'well made', and adding -ly makes it describe how something is done. So neatly means doing something 'in a tidy, careful way'.