nice Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean; the leading resort on the French Riviera
  2. adjective 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
  3. adjective satellite socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
    decent.
    • from a decent family
    • a nice girl
  4. adjective satellite done with delicacy and skill
    skillful.
    • a nice bit of craft
    • a job requiring nice measurements with a micrometer
    • a nice shot
  5. adjective satellite excessively fastidious and easily disgusted
    overnice; squeamish; prissy; dainty.
    • too nice about his food to take to camp cooking
    • so squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow
  6. adjective satellite exhibiting courtesy and politeness
    courteous; gracious.
    • a nice gesture

WordNet

Nice adjective
Etymology
OE., foolish, fr. OF. nice ignorant, fool, fr. L. nescius ignorant; ne not + scius knowing, scire to know. perhaps influenced by E. nesh delicate, soft. See No, and Science.
Wordforms
comparative Nicer ; superlative Nicest
Definitions
  1. Foolish; silly; simple; ignorant; also, weak; effeminate. Obs. Gower.
    But say that we ben wise and nothing nice. Chaucer.
  2. Of trifling moment; nimportant; trivial. Obs.
    The letter was not nice, but full of charge Of dear import. Shak.
  3. Overscrupulous or exacting; hard to please or satisfy; fastidious in small matters.
    Curious not knowing, not exact but nice. Pope.
    And to taste Think not I shall be nice. Milton.
  4. Delicate; refined; dainty; pure.
    Dear love, continue nice and chaste. Donne.
    A nice and subtile happiness. Milton.
  5. Apprehending slight diffferences or delicate distinctions; distinguishing accurately or minutely; carefully discriminating; as, a nice taste or judgment. "Our author happy in a judge so nice." Pope. "Nice verbal criticism." Coleridge.
  6. Done or made with careful labor; suited to excite admiration on account of exactness; evidencing great skill; exact; fine; finished; as, nice proportions, nice workmanship, a nice application; exactly or fastidiously discriminated; requiring close discrimination; as, a nice point of law, a nice distinction in philosophy.
    The difference is too nice Where ends the virtue, or begins the vice. Pope.
  7. Pleasing; agreeable; gratifying; delightful; good; as, a nice party; a nice excursion; a nice person; a nice day; a nice sauce, etc. Loosely & Colloquially Shak. Syn. -- Dainty; delicate; exquisite; fine; accurate; exact; correct; precise; particular; scrupulous; punctilious; fastidious; squeamish; finical; effeminate; silly.

Webster 1913