nicer; nicest
2
b
: appropriate, fitting
not a nice word for a formal occasion
She always wears nice clothes.
c
: well-executed
nice shot
3
a
: socially acceptable : well-bred
from a nice family
b
: virtuous, respectable
… I met nice girls whose skirts reached the ground.—
Jack London
Jack London4
: possessing, marked by, or demanding great or excessive precision (see precision entry 1 sense 2a) and delicacy
nice measurements
a nice distinction between these two words
5
a
: showing fastidious or finicky tastes : particular
too nice a palate to enjoy junk food
b
: exacting in requirements or standards : punctilious
a nice code of honor
6
obsolete
: trivial
niceness
noun
informal
: in a nice or pleasing way
They plan to fix up the place real nice.
He still had his bald spots, but the fur that he did have cleaned up nice.—Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamilloIn fact, the action is part of what made the findings redundant. The action mattered because it has, for the past two years, forced Microsoft to play nice. [=to behave nicely; to be cooperative and unaggressive in dealing with others]—Gary Rivlin
Gary RivlinBipartisanship may also be elusive if it means a hostile GOP majority has to play nice with a President it has tried to kick out of office.—Amy Borrus et al.
Amy Borrus et al.
Synonyms
Examples of nice in a Sentence
Adjective
I hope you all had a nice time.
It's so nice to see you again.
It's nice to be back home.
It's nice to know that you're all right.
It would be nice to try something different.
We had a very nice dinner.
“Hello, my name is Sara.” “It's nice to meet you, Sara.”
It's nice to see you, Luis. How have you been?
She wears the nicest clothes.
He looks nice in his new suit.
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Recent Examples on the WebJessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Anderson can adjust to the ball well and be elusive, while Gresham is a versatile player with a nice blend of speed and quickness.
—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
And because each knit is clearly labeled with a monogram, Santa will have no trouble delivering treats to everyone on his nice list.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
Her shoes were pointed toe heels, a nice touch of detail to add dimension to her ‘fit.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023
Lauren: See you back here next Wednesday, and until then, have a nice future.
—Gideon Lichfield, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
For its size, the unit gave off a good amount of heat, but wasn't overwhelming, and provided a nice ambiance, too.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023
The user of this apartment is a nice gentlemen appreciates details & texture while also quite flexible in spatial arrangement.
—Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 12 Sep. 2023
At the end of the ride, kids and kids at heart will get to have a special meeting with Santa Claus and his reindeer, who will also hand out a commemorative jingle bell to everyone on his nice list.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2023
Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2023
The concept is simple: Each episode is an in-depth journey on a notable train somewhere around the world, with likable and very-earnestly-excited-about-trains-but-in-a-nice-calming-way host Teddy Wilson acting as a tour guide and pal throughout each trip.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2022
Ryan Reynolds cleans up nice, to say the least.
—Lydia Price, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2022
The other nice-yielding REIT making 52-week highs of late is outlet mall giant Tanger Factory Outlet (SKT, 4.6% yield).
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023
Why does this perfectly nice-seeming man never get a line, let alone a storyline?
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2022
Amazon has instead offered up a steady stream of nice-sounding anecdotes about plastic use that don’t add up to much.
—Matt Littlejohn, Fortune, 16 June 2022
Irish Spring featured a somewhat strange gathering of nice-smelling people on an island.
—Tim Calkins For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, 14 Feb. 2022
Most of them are feeding off a neither-candidate-is-good-enough syndrome that makes people vote for mystery men and women who come attached to a nice-sounding party label.
—Gail Collins New York Times, Star Tribune, 17 Sep. 2020
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Adjective
The shampoo also has a nice lather, which made the application process so much easier and ensured a thorough cleanse every time.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Anderson can adjust to the ball well and be elusive, while Gresham is a versatile player with a nice blend of speed and quickness.
—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
And because each knit is clearly labeled with a monogram, Santa will have no trouble delivering treats to everyone on his nice list.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
Her shoes were pointed toe heels, a nice touch of detail to add dimension to her ‘fit.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023
Lauren: See you back here next Wednesday, and until then, have a nice future.
—Gideon Lichfield, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
For its size, the unit gave off a good amount of heat, but wasn't overwhelming, and provided a nice ambiance, too.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023
The user of this apartment is a nice gentlemen appreciates details & texture while also quite flexible in spatial arrangement.
—Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 12 Sep. 2023
At the end of the ride, kids and kids at heart will get to have a special meeting with Santa Claus and his reindeer, who will also hand out a commemorative jingle bell to everyone on his nice list.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2023
Adverb
The Terran 1 rocket sure cleans up nice.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2023
The concept is simple: Each episode is an in-depth journey on a notable train somewhere around the world, with likable and very-earnestly-excited-about-trains-but-in-a-nice-calming-way host Teddy Wilson acting as a tour guide and pal throughout each trip.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2022
Ryan Reynolds cleans up nice, to say the least.
—Lydia Price, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2022
The other nice-yielding REIT making 52-week highs of late is outlet mall giant Tanger Factory Outlet (SKT, 4.6% yield).
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023
Why does this perfectly nice-seeming man never get a line, let alone a storyline?
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2022
Amazon has instead offered up a steady stream of nice-sounding anecdotes about plastic use that don’t add up to much.
—Matt Littlejohn, Fortune, 16 June 2022
Irish Spring featured a somewhat strange gathering of nice-smelling people on an island.
—Tim Calkins For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, 14 Feb. 2022
Most of them are feeding off a neither-candidate-is-good-enough syndrome that makes people vote for mystery men and women who come attached to a nice-sounding party label.
—Gail Collins New York Times, Star Tribune, 17 Sep. 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know — more at nescience
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a
Adverb
circa 1544, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of nice was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing nice
Dictionary Entries Near nice
Cite this Entry
“Nice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nice. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
nice
adjective1
: finicky in tastes or habits
2
: not obvious : subtle
a nice distinction
4
: well behaved : respectable
wasn't a nice thing to do
5
: done very well
nice job!
nicely
adverb
niceness
noun
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English nice "foolish, stupid," from early French nice (same meaning), from Latin nescius "ignorant," from nescire "not to know," from ne- "not" and scire "to know" — related to science
Word Origin
Five hundred years ago, when nice was first used in English, it meant "foolish or stupid." This is not as surprising as it may seem, since it came through early French from the Latin nescius, meaning "ignorant." By the 16th century, the sense of being "very particular" or "finicky" had developed. In the 19th century, nice came to mean "pleasant or agreeable" and then "respectable," a sense quite unlike its original meaning.
More from Merriam-Webster on nice
Nglish: Translation of nice for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of nice for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nice
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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