Etimology
From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
adjective
nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)
(chiefly informal) Pleasant, satisfactory. [from 18th c.]
(chiefly informal) Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.]
Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.]
(with and, chiefly informal) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]
(chiefly informal) Giving a favorable review or having a favorable impression.
(chiefly informal) Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly
(obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th–17th c.]
(now rare) Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy. [from 14th c.]
(dated) Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious. [from 14th c.]
(obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th–19th c.]
Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle. [from 16th c.]
(obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
(obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th–19th c.]
Examples
When the party was nice, the party was jumpin'
What's difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you're not quite sure.
What is a nice person like you doing in a place like this?
She was so nice, in fact, that she wouldn't let me put my hand underneath or even on top of her bra, and so I finished with her, although obviously I didn't tell her why.
The soup is nice and hot.
We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.
For Candy Crush Saga, the critics were far nicer than the audience . [2]
a nice way of putting it
There is nothing he seemed to be more carefull of than of his honesty, and observe a kinde of decencie of his person, and orderly decorum in his habits, were it on foot or on horsebacke. He was exceeding nice in performing his word or promise.
Mr Blifil, I am confident, understands himself better than to think of seeing my niece any more this morning, after what hath happened. Women are of a nice contexture; and our spirits, when disordered, are not to be recomposed in a moment.
But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice [translating wählerisch] in my dealings with the remainder.
Choice, nice in eating; fastidiosus in edendo.
“Well, my dear,” he deliberately began, “considering we never saw her before, she seems a very pretty sort of young lady; and I dare say she was very much pleased with you. She speaks a little too quick. A little quickness of voice there is which rather hurts the ear. But I believe I am nice; I do not like strange voices; and nobody speaks like you and poor Miss Taylor. ..."
"Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential."
"It's her own funeral, you know," said Sir Lulworth; "it's a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show respect to one's own mortal remains."
It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis is Moslem or gnostic.
Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.
[W]ere it good / To ſet the exact wealth of al our ſtates / Al at one caſt? to ſet ſo rich a maine / On the nice hazard of one doubtfull houre?Is it good / To bet all of our wealth / On one throw of the dice? To place so high a stake / On the risky hazard of one doubtful hour?
Is it good / To bet all of our wealth / On one throw of the dice? To place so high a stake / On the risky hazard of one doubtful hour?
It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.
Related words
synonyms
(easy to like: person): charming, delightful, friendly, kind, lovely, pleasant, sweet
(easy to like: thing): charming, delightful, lovely, pleasant
(having a pleasant taste or aroma): appetising/appetizing, delicious, moreish (informal), scrummy (slang), scrumptious (slang), tasty
(subtle): fine, subtle
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "easy to like: person"): horrible, horrid, nasty
(antonym(s) of "easy to like: thing"): horrible, horrid, nasty
(antonym(s) of "having a pleasant taste or aroma"): awful, disgusting, foul, horrible, horrid, nasty, nauseating, putrid, rancid, rank, sickening, distasteful, gross, unsatisfactory
(antonym(s) of "respectable; virtuous"): naughty
related terms
nicety
adverb
nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)
(colloquial) Nicely.
Examples
Children, play nice.
He dresses real nice.
This riesling's going down nice.
interjection
nice!
Used to signify a job well done.
Used to signify approval.
Examples
Nice! I couldn't have done better.
Is that your new car? Nice!
noun
nice (uncountable)
niceness.
Examples
She had refused as kindly as she know how, using up as much nice as she had energy for because she was glad of his company when three o'clock rolled around and she started thinking about September.
We could debate forever about whether we have enough of one or too much of another. But I know one thing for sure: We never have too much nice.
It is the absence of rules and too much nice that are more likely to produce terror.
Etimology
Name of a Unix program used to invoke a script or program with a specified priority, with the implication that running at a lower priority is "nice" (kind, etc.) because it leaves more resources for others.
verb
nice (third-person singular simple present nices, present participle nicing, simple past and past participle niced)
(transitive, computing, Unix) To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.