nicety

noun

nice·​ty ˈnī-sə-tē 

-stē

plural niceties

1

: the quality or state of being nice

2

: an elegant, delicate, or civilized feature

enjoy the niceties of life

3

: a fine point or distinction : subtlety

the niceties of table manners

4

: careful attention to details : delicate exactness : precision

5

: delicacy of taste or feeling : fastidiousness

Phrases

to a nicety

: exactly, accurately

… liked doing a quiet business in which they were sure of their customers, and could calculate their returns to a nicety.

—George Eliot

Synonyms

• fact
• detail

Examples of nicety in a Sentence

knows all the niceties of diplomatic protocol

a woman too fond of the niceties of urban living to even consider becoming a farmer's wife

Recent Examples on the Web

That allows for modern riding niceties like two power modes, cruise control, and a speed limiter. —New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025

The Bengals' social media team shared a video on X of Rodgers and Flacco exchanging a handshake and niceties after the game. —Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

Yet apart from the legal niceties, Israel has already, for all intents and purposes, taken over the territory. —Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025

Oh, and New Amy also discovers than everyone pretty much hated Old Amy, who was a demanding, uncompromising chief of internal medicine with no time for niceties. —Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nicete, from Anglo-French niceté foolishness, from nice, adjective

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

nicety

noun

nice·​ty ˈnī-sət-ē 

-stē

plural niceties

1

: a dainty, delicate, or elegant thing

enjoy the niceties of life

2

: a small point or detail

niceties of table manners

3

: careful attention to details

nicety is needed in making watches

4

: the point at which a thing is at its best

roasted to a nicety