nice-nelly 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnīs-ˈne-lē How to pronounce nice-nelly (audio)
Definition of nice-nellynext
as in Victorian
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals the novel's wildly off base portrayal of 18th-century aristocrats as nice-nelly exemplars of decorum

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nice nelly

2 of 2

noun

as in puritan
a person who is greatly concerned with seemly behavior and morality especially regarding sexual matters some nice nelly bowdlerized this collection of wartime ditties that were lustily sung by the men around the campfire

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nice-nelly
  1. Victorian
  2. puritan
  3. puritanical
Adjective
  • In St Leonard’s a good choice is St Benedict’s BnB, a quirky guesthouse filled with Victorian memorabilia.
    — Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • Begonias, once adored during the Victorian Era, are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Definition of Victorian
Noun
  • Unlike the High Church Swift, Defoe was a puritan (in many things), and where the former was suspicious of the economic instrumentalization that turned people into commodities, the latter was positively bullish on the market economy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Its students arrive morally outraged, a priori puritans, while its professors are enervated and dissatisfied.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of puritan
Adjective
  • With an almost puritanical zeal, Pavese sought to banish rhetoric and image.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Our culture is losing sight of the value of knowledge and literacy, embracing instead ideas that are surface-level, puritanical and uncomplicated.
    — Mckenna Friedland, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of puritanical
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

nice nellies
nice-nelly
nice nelly
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Cite this Entry

“Nice-nelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nice-nelly. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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