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
George EliotSynonyms
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
The pastor eventually dropped the niceties, threatening her son and the invoking the wrath of God.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2024
It is done by ruthless men (in the Middle East, always men) who have little regard for democratic niceties or international norms of human rights.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Hogan has painted broad strokes of bipartisanship across his social media platforms, posting video clips of niceties that prominent Democrats like Moore, President Joe Biden and even Alsobrooks offered publicly during his gubernatorial administration.
—Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024
Colleagues had been quick to criticize my violations of unwritten rules regarding how women should lead—rules dictating niceties, get-in-line supportiveness, and instruction with subtlety.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nicety 
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2024
It is done by ruthless men (in the Middle East, always men) who have little regard for democratic niceties or international norms of human rights.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Hogan has painted broad strokes of bipartisanship across his social media platforms, posting video clips of niceties that prominent Democrats like Moore, President Joe Biden and even Alsobrooks offered publicly during his gubernatorial administration.
—Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024
Colleagues had been quick to criticize my violations of unwritten rules regarding how women should lead—rules dictating niceties, get-in-line supportiveness, and instruction with subtlety.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nicety
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nicety.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nicety
Cite this Entry
“Nicety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nicety. Accessed 19 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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