nice

adjective \ ˈnīs \

Definition of nice

nicer; nicest

1 obsolete

a :wanton, dissolute

b :coy, reticent

2 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

3 :possessing, marked by, or demanding great or excessive precision (see ¹precision 2a) and delicacy

nice measurements

a nice distinction between these two words

4 obsolete :trivial

5 a :pleasing, agreeable

a nice time

a nice person

b :well-executed

nice shot

c :appropriate, fitting

not a nice word for a formal occasion

She always wears nice clothes.

6 a :socially acceptable :well-bred

from a nice family

b :virtuous, respectable

was taught that nice girls don't do that

7 :polite, kind

that's nice of you to say

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nice

adverb

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nicely

adverb

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niceness

noun

See nice defined for English-language learners

See nice defined for kids

Examples of nice in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of nice from the Web

Tuna ran 47 miles offshore Sunday for tuna and put 24 nice albies onboard.

— sacbee, "Fishing line: Here come the salmon," 28 Aug. 2017
And as is Lisa’s wont, the story is where animals who live in nicer houses than most Americans, fabulous recreational activities, and a predilection for not taking guff from anybody converge.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Trump’s Tariff Tantrum Makes Veruca Salt Look Like the Dalai Lama," 28 Aug. 2017
A nice, quiet little beach community: The beaches that drive tourists to South Florida need constant resupply of sand to fight erosion.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Politics and Mother Nature," 28 Aug. 2017
Over on the perpetually knotty Game of Thrones, Arya and Sansa Stark finally made up and played nice (aside from that slit throat, of course) in the finale.

— donna freydkin, Allure, "Paris Jackson Brings Back Armpit Hair at the 2017 VMAs," 28 Aug. 2017
When facing inappropriate behavior, should grit your teeth and make nice, or take the risk and call it out?

— kristen bellstrom, Fortune, "A Peek at Hillary Clinton’s Book, Taylor Swift’s Album, More on That Google Engineer," 24 Aug. 2017
A prior village public safety officer had a nice farm and paid kids to work on it.

— lisa demer, Alaska Dispatch News, "Banishment in Akiak: The husband of a teacher is ordered out but he says he is no threat," 24 Aug. 2017
But every day these girls go into practice and battle for their spots, which is nice to see.

— jeff tully, Burbank Leader, "Girls’ Volleyball Preview: Providence hoping for continued success," 24 Aug. 2017
Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 redux is a nice touch-up on the 1960 Rat Pack heist film, with a glittering cast to match.

— yohana desta, HWD, "The Solar Eclipse Is Destroying Everything Except Bonnie Tyler," 21 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nice

Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know — more at nescience

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

nice Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of nice

correct, accurate, exact, precise, nice, right mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth. correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

- correct answers
- socially correct dress

accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

- an accurate description

exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

- exact measurements

precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

- precise calibration

nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

- makes nice distinctions

right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

- the right thing to do

Nice

geographical name \ ˈnēs \

variants: or ancient Nicaea play \nī-ˈsē-ə\

Definition of Nice

city and port on the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France population 343,304

NICE Defined for English Language Learners

nice

adjective

Definition of nice for English Language Learners

: giving pleasure or joy : good and enjoyable
: attractive or of good quality
: kind, polite, and friendly

NICE Defined for Kids

nice

adjective \ ˈnīs \

Definition of nice for Students

nicer; nicest

1 :pleasing, pleasant

nice weather

I had a nice time.

2 :kind, polite, and friendly

a nice person

3 :of good quality

It's a nice place to live.

4 :done very well

Nice work!

5 :well behaved

nice children

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nicely

adverb

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niceness

noun

History for nice

The English word nice came from an Old French word with the same spelling that meant “foolish.” This Old French word came in turn from a Latin word nescius that meant “ignorant.” At first, English nice meant “foolish” or “frivolous.” Later it came to mean “finicky” or “fussy.” Not until the 1700s did nice come to mean “pleasing” or “pleasant.”