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
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 on the Web
First of all, Kerry is saying something nice to me.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 6 June 2026
Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone each doubled in a run to give starting pitcher Michael Wacha a nice cushion.
—Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026
Gundam Rogue Orbit also looks very nice indeed, and the game is using Unreal Engine.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Langford and Seager got nice rounds of applause upon their returns to the plate but neither recorded a hit in their first at bat with a fly out and a pop out respectively.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nice
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Kate Aurthur, Variety, 6 June 2026
Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone each doubled in a run to give starting pitcher Michael Wacha a nice cushion.
—Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026
Gundam Rogue Orbit also looks very nice indeed, and the game is using Unreal Engine.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Langford and Seager got nice rounds of applause upon their returns to the plate but neither recorded a hit in their first at bat with a fly out and a pop out respectively.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nice
Cite this Entry
“Nice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nice. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Etymology
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.
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