Link Centre Dictionary

nice

UK/niːs/ US/nis/ very common informal uk
adjective (6) noun (1)

adjective

1.

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

  • “what a nice fellow you are and we all thought you so nasty” George Meredith
  • “nice manners”
  • “a nice dress”
  • “a nice face”
  • “a nice day”
  • “had a nice time at the party”
  • “the corn and tomatoes are nice today”
Antonyms
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2.

socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous

  • “from a decent family”
  • “a nice girl”
Synonyms
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3.

done with delicacy and skill

  • “a nice bit of craft”
  • “a job requiring nice measurements with a micrometer”
  • “a nice shot”
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4.

excessively fastidious and easily disgusted

  • “too nice about his food to take to camp cooking”
  • “so squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow”
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5.

noting distinctions with nicety

  • “a discriminating interior designer”
  • “a nice sense of color”
  • “a nice point in the argument”
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6.

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

  • “a nice gesture”
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noun

1.

Origin

Borrowed from French Nice, from Latin Nīcaea, from Ancient Greek Νῑ́καια (Nī́kaia), named for a 4th-century-BCE victory of its colonizing Phocaean Greeks over local Ligurians, probably the Vediantii, from νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-ia: forming place names”). Doublet of Iznik and Nicaea.

Phrases

  • buy nice or buy twice Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • have a nice day Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • have a nice day syndrome Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • have a nice life Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • make nice Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • Minnesota nice Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • nice and + adjective Terms derived from nice (adjective)
  • nice and easy Terms derived from nice (adjective)

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

See also

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.