nice
see also: Nice, NICE
Pronunciation Adjective

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

  1. Pleasant, satisfactory. [from 18th c.]
    • 1998, Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out?
      When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)
    • 2008, Rachel Cooke, The Guardian, 20 Apr.:
      "What's difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you're not quite sure."
  2. Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.]
  3. Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.]
    What is a nice person like you doing in a place like this?
  4. (with and) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]
    The soup is nice and hot.
  5. (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th-17th c.]
  6. (now, rare) Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy. [from 14th c.]
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 2, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821 ↗:
      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.
    • 1999, Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford 2008, p.83:
      But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice transterm wählerisch in my dealings with the remainder.
  7. (obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th-19th c.]
    • 1818, Jane Austen, Persuasion, chapter 16:
      "Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential."
  8. Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle. [from 16th c.]
    • 1914: Saki, Laura:
      "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."
    • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p.131:
      It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis is Moslem or gnostic.
    • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p.242:
      Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.
  9. (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
  10. (obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th-19th c.]
    • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene i]:
      [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?
    • 1822, T. Creevey, Reminiscences, 28 Jul.:
      It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.
Synonyms Antonyms Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • Russian: то́нкий
Adverb

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

  1. (colloquial) Nicely.
    Children, play nice.
    He dresses real nice.
Interjection
  1. Used to signify a job well done.
    Nice! I couldn't have done better.
  2. Used to signify approval.
    Is that your new car? Nice!
Translations Noun

nice (uncountable)

  1. niceness.
Verb

nice (nices, present participle nicing; past and past participle niced)

  1. (transitive, computing, Unix) To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.

Nice
Pronunciation Proper noun
  1. A coastal city/capital in Alpes-Maritimes, in the.
  2. Surname (pronounced /ni:s/ or /naɪs/)
  3. A census-designated place in Lake County, California.
Translations
  • French: Nice
  • German: Nizza
  • Italian: Nizza
  • Portuguese: Nice
  • Russian: Ни́цца
  • Spanish: Niza

NICE
Proper noun
  1. (UK) Initialism of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence



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