nifty

adjective

nif·ty | \ ˈnif-tē

niftier; niftiest

Definition of nifty

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

b : very pleasant or enjoyable a nifty performance … this barrier isle off North Carolina's southernmost coast still provides a nifty getaway.— Spike Gillespie The Smithereens consistently present nifty, driving songs, quite involved by pop standards.— 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 Some investors are catching on to a nifty tax-saving trick allowable by Roth IRA rules.— 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

nifty

noun

plural nifties

Definition of nifty (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that is nifty especially : a clever or neatly turned phrase or joke

Other Words from nifty Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about nifty

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Other Words from nifty

Adjective

niftily \ ˈnif-tə-lē

\ adverb

Harrison is an upwardly mobile … young man with a wife, son and a niftily restored house in San Francisco. — John J. O'Connor

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: Adjective

On top of that, the little Kona EV also sported a rather nifty Smart Regeneration System that uses the car's cruise control radar to maximize energy recuperation when following other cars. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Hyundai finally gives us a price for the 2019 Kona EV—$29,995," 14 Dec. 2018 Decked out with modern looks and nifty features, the 2019 Volvo XC40 compact SUV was designed for young professionals who can’t imagine why anybody would want to drive off-road. — Mark Phelan, USA TODAY, "Review: Volvo loads up XC40 compact SUV with nifty features," 8 June 2018 Besides, who doesn't want a nifty accessory to make their task a little more fun? — Sally Tamarkin, SELF, "22 Easy Ways to Drink More Water Every Day," 3 Jan. 2019 Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald gave the Bulldogs the advantage on a nifty 33-yard touchdown run , his 100th career score rushing or passing. — Steven Wine, The Seattle Times, "Iowa rallies past No. 18 Mississippi State in Outback Bowl," 2 Jan. 2019 The Shortcuts feature is particularly nifty, especially if users can develop a morning routine around it. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Volkswagen now lets Apple users unlock their car with Siri," 12 Nov. 2018 That’s a nifty doubleheader: nodding to Nigeria’s first team to qualify for a World Cup and being trend leaders at the same time. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, "A Fashion Expert and a Football Expert Had a Conversation About World Cup Kits," 15 June 2018 The Dodgers’ defense also contributed to the woes with several nifty plays, including Cody Bellinger’s full-stretch, diving catch of Lorenzo Cain’s sinking liner leading off the 10th. — Greg Beacham, The Seattle Times, "Power outage: Brewers’ bats struggle in 13-inning loss," 17 Oct. 2018 An opportunity for a third would fall to United 10 minutes later, but Lingard would shoot wide after creating space with some nifty footwork at the top of the box. — SI.com, "Man Utd 2-0 Swansea: Red Devils Climb Back Above Liverpool With Routine Home Win Over Swans," 31 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The lone goal of the match was scored by Inda-Felix, who put the ball in the lower left corner of the net following a nifty through pass from Mike Robles. — Dave Mendonca, The Mercury News, "Willow Glen, Rose Garden: Lincoln boys open CCS soccer playoffs with back-to-back shutout wins," 2 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nifty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.