nice

1 of 2

adjective

ˈnīs 

nicer; nicest

1

: polite, kind

a very nice person

That's nice of you to say.

2

a

: pleasing, agreeable

a nice time

a nice person

b

: appropriate, fitting

not a nice word for a formal occasion

She always wears nice clothes.

c

: well-executed

nice shot

3

a

: socially acceptable : well-bred

from a nice family

b

: virtuous, respectable

… I met nice girls whose skirts reached the ground.

—Jack London

4

: possessing, marked by, or demanding great or excessive precision (see precision entry 1 sense 2a) and delicacy

nice measurements

a nice distinction between these two words

5

a

: showing fastidious or finicky tastes : particular

too nice a palate to enjoy junk food

b

: exacting in requirements or standards : punctilious

a nice code of honor

6

obsolete : trivial

7

obsolete

a

: wanton, dissolute

b

: coy, reticent

nicely

ˈnīs-lē 

adverb

niceness noun

nice

2 of 2

adverb

informal

: in a nice or pleasing way

They plan to fix up the place real nice.

He still had his bald spots, but the fur that he did have cleaned up nice.

—Kate DiCamillo

In fact, the action is part of what made the findings redundant. The action mattered because it has, for the past two years, forced Microsoft to play nice. [=to behave nicely; to be cooperative and unaggressive in dealing with others]

—Gary Rivlin

Bipartisanship may also be elusive if it means a hostile GOP majority has to play nice with a President it has tried to kick out of office.

—Amy Borrus et al.

Synonyms

Adjective

• befitting
• correct
• de rigueur
• decent
• decorous
• genteel
• polite
• proper
• respectable
• seemly

Choose the Right Synonym for nice

correct, accurate, exact, precise, nice, right mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth.

correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers

socially correct dress

accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

an accurate description

exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

precise calibration

nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

the right thing to do

Examples of nice in a Sentence

Adjective

I hope you all had a nice time.

It's so nice to see you again.

It's nice to be back home.

It's nice to know that you're all right.

It would be nice to try something different.

We had a very nice dinner.

“Hello, my name is Sara.” “It's nice to meet you, Sara.”

It's nice to see you, Luis. How have you been?

She wears the nicest clothes.

He looks nice in his new suit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

It's been so nice to see everyone with other big dogs who have had similar experiences. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

Rat Scabies, drummer for the pioneering punk band the Damned, has a nice cameo as the proprietor of a music store that also deals in guns. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Adverb

The Terran 1 rocket sure cleans up nice. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2023

The concept is simple: Each episode is an in-depth journey on a notable train somewhere around the world, with likable and very-earnestly-excited-about-trains-but-in-a-nice-calming-way host Teddy Wilson acting as a tour guide and pal throughout each trip. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know — more at nescience

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a

Adverb

circa 1544, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nice

• have a nice day
• make nice
• nice and
• nice and easy
• nice going
• nice idea
• nice-looking
• nice-nelly
• nice try
• play nice

Kids Definition

nice

adjective

ˈnīs 

1

: kind, polite

a nice person

wasn't a nice thing to do

2

: pleasing, agreeable

a nice time

3

: done very well

nice job!

4

: not obvious : subtle

a nice distinction

5

: finicky in tastes or habits

nicely adverb

niceness noun

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English nice "foolish, stupid," from early French nice (same meaning), from Latin nescius "ignorant," from nescire "not to know," from ne- "not" and scire "to know" — related to science

Word Origin

Five hundred years ago, when nice was first used in English, it meant "foolish or stupid." This is not as surprising as it may seem, since it came through early French from the Latin nescius, meaning "ignorant." By the 16th century, the sense of being "very particular" or "finicky" had developed. In the 19th century, nice came to mean "pleasant or agreeable" and then "respectable," a sense quite unlike its original meaning.

Geographical Definition

Nice

geographical name

ˈnēs 

variants or ancient Nicaea

nī-ˈsē-ə 

city and port on the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France population 343,304