• enPR: nīs, IPA: /naɪs/
• (India) IPA: /nɑɪs/, /nɑjs/
• (Falkland Islands English) IPA: /nəɪs/

From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce ("simple, foolish, ignorant"), from Latin nescius; compare nesciō ("to know not, be ignorant of"), from ne ("not") + sciō ("to know").

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. (chiefly, informal) Pleasant, satisfactory. [from 18th c.]
2. (chiefly, informal) 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?

   • 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 14 ↗:

     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.

4. (with and, chiefly, informal) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]

   The soup is nice and hot.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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.

5. (chiefly, informal) Giving a favorable review or having a favorable impression.

   For Candy Crush Saga, the critics were far nicer than the audience (7.9/10 vs. 3.2/10).

6. (chiefly, informal) Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly

   a nice way of putting it

7. (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th]
   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i]:

     Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice
     To change true rules for odd inventions.

8. (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, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC ↗:

     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.

9. (dated) Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious. [from 14th c.]
10. (obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th]
    • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 14, in Emma: […], volume II, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC ↗:

      “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. ..."

    • 1818, Jane Austen, chapter 16, in Persuasion:

      "Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential."

11. 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, published 1992, page 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, published 2007, page 242:

      Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.

12. (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
13. (obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th]
    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [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?

• (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

• (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

• nicety

• French: gentil, sympathique, sympa, agréable
• German: freundlich, sympathisch, lieb, nett
• Italian: simpatico, piacevole, gentile
• Portuguese: bonito, agradável, simpático
• Russian: ми́лый
• Spanish: simpático, agradable, amable, bueno

• French: beau, joli
• German: schön, hübsch, nett
• Italian: bello
• Portuguese: bom, agradável
• Russian: симпати́чный
• Spanish: bonito, bello, lindo

• French: bon
• German: lecker, angenehm
• Italian: buono
• Portuguese: agradável
• Russian: (tasty) вку́сный
• Spanish: rico, bueno

• German: heikel, prekär (exalted), knifflig (coll.)
• Russian: то́нкий

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. (colloquial) Nicely.

   Children, play nice.

   He dresses real nice.

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!

• Portuguese: ótimo, beleza

nice (uncountable)

1. niceness.

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.

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

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

From French Nice, from Latin Nīcaea, from Ancient Greek Νῑ́καια, named for a 4th-century BC victory of its colonizing Phocaean Greeks over local Ligurians, probably the Vediantii, from νῑ́κη ("victory") + -ῐᾰ ("-ia: forming place names").

• enPR: nēs, IPA: /niːs/

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.

• French: Nice
• German: Nizza
• Italian: Nizza
• Portuguese: Nice
• Russian: Ни́цца
• Spanish: Niza

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