nifty

1 of 2

adjective

nif·​ty ˈnif-tē 

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

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

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

nifty

2 of 2

noun

plural nifties

: something that is nifty

especially : a clever or neatly turned phrase or joke

Synonyms

Adjective

• A-OK
• A1
• awesome
• bang-up
• banner
• beautiful
• blue-chip
• blue-ribbon
• boffo
• bonny [chiefly British]
• bonnie
• boss [slang]
• brag
• brave
• bully
• bumper
• capital
• choice
• classic
• cool [slang]
• corking
• crackerjack
• cracking
• dandy
• divine
• dope [slang]
• down [slang]
• dynamite
• excellent
• fab
• fabulous
• famous
• fantabulous [slang]
• fantastic
• fine
• first-class
• first-rate
• first-string
• five-star
• four-star
• frontline
• gangbusters
• gangbuster
• gilt-edged
• gilt-edge
• gone [slang]
• grand
• great
• groovy
• heavenly
• high-class
• hot
• hype [slang]
• immense
• jim-dandy
• keen
• lovely
• marvelous
• marvellous
• mean
• neat
• noble
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• out-of-sight [slang]
• par excellence
• peachy
• peachy keen
• phat [slang]
• prime
• primo [slang]
• prize
• prizewinning
• quality
• radical [slang]
• righteous [slang]
• sensational
• slick
• splendid
• stellar
• sterling
• superb
• superior
• superlative
• supernal
• swell
• terrific
• tip-top
• top
• top-notch
• top-of-the-line
• top-shelf
• topflight
• topping [chiefly British]
• unsurpassed
• wizard [chiefly British]
• wonderful

Noun

• boff
• boffo
• boffola
• crack
• drollery
• funny
• gag
• giggle [chiefly British]
• jape
• jest
• joke
• josh
• laugh
• one-liner
• pleasantry
• quip
• rib
• sally
• waggery
• wisecrack
• witticism
• yuk [slang]
• yuck
• yak
• yock

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

In the early seconds of the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes flipped a nifty seven-yard pass to running back Samaje Perine to tie the game up. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

This nifty storage box has room for up to 128 ornaments up to 3 inches wide and tall. —Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2024

Noun

The bleeding continued at 15:05 of the first when Kotkaniemi made it 2-0 with a nifty backhand tuck at the base of the left post. —Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Nov. 2022

His next points came via a nifty behind-the-back pass from Orlando Lovejoy on a fastbreak which led to an easy layup for Bates. —Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 12 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

origin unknown

First Known Use

Adjective

1865, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nifty

adjective

nif·​ty

ˈnif-tē

niftier; niftiest

informal

: very good : very attractive

nifty noun