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
Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Even Vanderbilt, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer in two weeks, drilled a corner look after nifty ball movement found him alone.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 8 Mar. 2026
Zaha, with 96 Premier League goal contributions to his name, received the ball near the top of the penalty box, took out two defenders with a nifty move and whipped a vicious cross toward the back post, where Toklomati popped up to tap the ball home.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Santos made a pair of nifty layups to end the half with the Warriors up 51-47.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nifty
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Adjective
Beyond the quirky three colors, color coding is a nifty perk here.
—Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Even Vanderbilt, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer in two weeks, drilled a corner look after nifty ball movement found him alone.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 8 Mar. 2026
Zaha, with 96 Premier League goal contributions to his name, received the ball near the top of the penalty box, took out two defenders with a nifty move and whipped a vicious cross toward the back post, where Toklomati popped up to tap the ball home.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Santos made a pair of nifty layups to end the half with the Warriors up 51-47.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 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 13 Mar. 2026.
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