Meaning & use
nattily dressed
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformalliterary
Wearing clothes that are neat, stylish, and well put together.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb like be or look, or before a noun: He is nattily dressed; a nattily dressed man.
Patterns
- be nattily dressed
- look nattily dressed
- a nattily dressed man
He arrived at the party nattily dressed in a dark suit and tie.
The nattily dressed gentleman tipped his hat to us.
She was nattily dressed in a tailored jacket and polished shoes.
Common combinations
- nattily dressed in a suit
- He was nattily dressed in a gray suit.
- nattily dressed gentleman
- A nattily dressed gentleman opened the door for us.
- look nattily dressed
- You look nattily dressed today.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smartly dressed
- Very similar, but smartly dressed is more common and less literary.
- well-dressed
- More general; it means wearing good clothes but not necessarily neat and stylish.
- dapper
- Often used for men, and suggests a neat, stylish appearance; it is a single adjective, not a phrase.
Opposites
Commonly confused: nattily dressed or nattily?
nattily dressed vs nattily
Nattily is the adverb meaning 'in a neat and stylish way'; nattily dressed is the full adjective phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nattily dressed' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Nattily dressed means wearing neat, stylish clothes, so a crisp shirt and silk tie fit. The other options use it with unsuitable clothing or as a verb, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nattily dressed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.