niftier; niftiest
informal
: very good: such as
a
: very attractive or appealing
nifty clothes
Jon Gnagy was an artist—you could tell this by the nifty goatee he wore …—
Andy Meisler
Andy Meisler
b
: very pleasant or enjoyable
a nifty performance
… this barrier isle off North Carolina's southernmost coast still provides a nifty getaway.—Spike Gillespie
Spike GillespieThe Smithereens consistently present nifty, driving songs, quite involved by pop standards.—David Hiltbrand
David Hiltbrand
c
: very interesting or clever : ingenious
a nifty device
The museum's gift shop is well-stocked, complete with a nifty machine that, for $1, will crush a fresh penny into a copper medal bearing the likeness of T. Rex.—Carl Wayne Arrington
Carl Wayne ArringtonSome investors are catching on to a nifty tax-saving trick allowable by Roth IRA rules.—Karen Hube
Karen Hube
d
: well-executed
A fan leaned out of the stands and made a nifty grab of the ricochet, and received a nice round of applause.—George Vecsay
George Vecsay
niftily
adverb
Harrison is an upwardly mobile … young man with a wife, son and a niftily restored house in San Francisco.
—John J. O'Connor
John J. O'Connor
plural nifties
: something that is nifty
especially
: a clever or neatly turned phrase or joke
Synonyms of nifty
Examples of nifty in a Sentence
Adjective
a nifty pair of shoes
This nifty little machine can do just about anything.
Noun
though ostensibly a drama, the play is filled with zingy little nifties that lighten the mood
that joke was a nifty
Recent Examples on the Web
Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 8 Apr. 2026
The Levoit vacuum transforms into a nifty hand vacuum, too, complete with crevice and pet tools to reach between cushions or clean stairs.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
But Casey Mittelstadt was there and made a nifty two-foot backhand pass to Pavel Zacha, who had an easy goal for his 29th.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nifty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
My tester had a steel brush guard, half-doors, and some nifty decals; others come with a full cab that features speakers in the roof.
—Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 8 Apr. 2026
The Levoit vacuum transforms into a nifty hand vacuum, too, complete with crevice and pet tools to reach between cushions or clean stairs.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
But Casey Mittelstadt was there and made a nifty two-foot backhand pass to Pavel Zacha, who had an easy goal for his 29th.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nifty
Cite this Entry
“Nifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nifty. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
