The word nice in english

History of nice:

Nice is a highly polysemous word. A polysemous word has more than one meaning.

Origin: Ne- (not) + scire (know, same root as ‘science’) -> nescire (not know) -> nescius (ignorant) -> nice (careless, clumsy, stupid — late 13c). In 14th century, its meaning was foolish, ignorant and stupid —> semantic change (amelioration) —> fastidious (late 14c) -> precise, careful (1500’s) -> agreeable, delightful (1769) -> kind, thoughtful (1830’s) -> pleasant, agreeable and then respectable (19c) -> pleasant and other positive meanings (20c onwards).

Nice and another English word nescience (meaning: ignorant) have the same origin (nescire).

Brief answer:

It was borrowed from French, meaning silly and stupid. Years later, nice meant dissolute or extravagant in dress and fashionable. From there, the word went on to mean finely dressed or precise about looks. And then, precise about looks changed to precise about reputation.
As time went on, ‘nice’ meant something like to have a refined taste. From here, the positive connotations continued with the idea of being cultured, respectable and agreeable.

Finally, after this perplexing history, ‘nice’ remains a term of approval today. We use it all the time to compliment people.

It entered Modern English through Old French and Middle English from Latin so its meaning has changed over time. This is because of semantic change.

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Explanation:

From Merriam Webster:

It is a bit difficult to say with much certainty what the earliest meaning of nice was in Modern English, since by the end of the 14th century there were already a number of different senses of the word — [M-W]

Some other meanings of ‘nice’:

• ‘Nice’ has meant ‘tarty’:

Sometimes it went further than this pejorative sense — it had the sense of the modern British slang ‘tarty’, or ‘[appropriate to] a woman of promiscuous sexual behaviour’.) — [AWE]

• ‘Nice’ has meant ‘fastidious’ (around 1500):

Its second main meaning was that of ‘precise’ or ‘fastidious’ — [AWE]

• ‘Nice’ has meant ‘dissolute’:

May we not this day read our sin in our punishment? O what nice and wanton appetites, what curious and itching ears, had thy people in the dayes of plenty? — John Flavel, Husbandry Spiritualized, 1674 — [M-W]

• ‘Nice’ has meant ‘chaste’:

“But Reddy Wheeler knew Daisy. We were properly introduced. It was quite all right!”
“Yes, but nice girls don’t do this sort of thing, you know—unchaperoned, and so late at night, and all that.” — Fred Jackson, “Young Blood,” Munsey’s Magazine, 1917 — [M-W]

‘Nice’ has meant ‘finicky’:

By the 16th century, the sense of being «very particular» or «finicky» had developed — [Word Central]

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Why did the meaning of ‘nice’ change:

The meaning of nice changed because of a common phenomenon called Semantic change.

Semantic change

In semantics and historical linguistics, semantic change refers to any change in the meaning(s) of a word over the course of time. Also called semantic shift, lexical change, and semantic progression. Common types of semantic change include amelioration, pejoration, broadening, semantic narrowing, bleaching, metaphor, and metonymy.

1. Amelioration:

When a word with negative meaning develops a positive meaning, the process is called ‘amelioration’.

The literal meaning of ameliorate is to make something unpleasant better.

Example: The best example of amelioration is ‘nice’.
‘Nice’ had negative meanings (ignorant, stupid and silly in 14th century), now it’s used in positive sense (pleasant, excellent, admirable etc).

The opposite of amelioration is pejoration

2. Pejoration:

When a word with positive meaning develops a negative meaning, the process is called ‘pejoration’.

The literal meaning of pejorate is to make something worse.

Example:

A very common example of pejoration is the word ‘gay’.

‘Gay’ originally meant lighthearted and joyous in 13th century. In 14th century, its meaning was bright and showy. It acquired negative connotations (immorality) around 1637. Presently, it’s used to mean homosexual. See how it developed negative meaning. It’s called pejoration.

References:

• Merriam Webster
• Dictionary.com
• Wikipedia
• ADW Blog
• Maitland Mercury
• Amelioration — ThoughtCo
• Mental Floss
• ADW blog

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• nyc (non-standard)
• noice (slang)

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: nīs, IPA^(key): /naɪs/
• (India) IPA^(key): /nɑɪs/, /nɑjs/
• (Falkland Islands English) IPA^(key): /nəɪs/
• Rhymes: -aɪs
• Homophone: gneiss

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).

Adjective[edit]

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. (chiefly informal) Pleasant, satisfactory. [from 18th c.]
   • 1998, Baha Men – “Who Let the Dogs Out?”

     When the party was nice, the party was jumpin’ (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)

   • 2008, Rachel Cooke, The Guardian, 20 Apr.:

     «What’s difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you’re not quite sure.»

2. (chiefly informal) Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.]
3. Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.]

   What is a nice person like you doing in a place like this?

4. (with and, chiefly informal) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]

   The soup is nice and hot.

   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 8, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients:

     We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.

5. (chiefly informal) Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly

   a nice way of putting it

6. (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th–17th c.]
7. (now rare) Particular in one’s conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy. [from 14th c.]

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 2, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     There is nothing he seemed to be more carefull of than of his honesty, and observe a kinde of decencie of his person, and orderly decorum in his habits, were it on foot or on horsebacke. He was exceeding nice in performing his word or promise.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:

     Mr Blifil, I am confident, understands himself better than to think of seeing my niece any more this morning, after what hath happened. Women are of a nice contexture; and our spirits, when disordered, are not to be recomposed in a moment.

   • 1999, Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford 2008, p.83:

     But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice [translating wählerisch] in my dealings with the remainder.

8. (dated) Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious. [from 14th c.]
9. (obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th–19th c.]

   • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume II, chapter 14:

     “Well, my dear,” he deliberately began, “considering we never saw her before, she seems a very pretty sort of young lady; and I dare say she was very much pleased with you. She speaks a little too quick. A little quickness of voice there is which rather hurts the ear. But I believe I am nice; I do not like strange voices; and nobody speaks like you and poor Miss Taylor. …»

   • 1818, Jane Austen, Persuasion, chapter 16:

     «Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential.»

10. Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle. [from 16th c.]
    • 1914: Saki, Laura:

      «It’s her own funeral, you know,» said Sir Lulworth; «it’s a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show respect to one’s own mortal remains.»

    • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p.131:

      It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis is Moslem or gnostic.

    • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p.242:

      Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.

11. (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
12. (obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th–19th c.]

    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

      [W]ere it good / To ſet the exact wealth of al our ſtates / Al at one caſt? to ſet ſo rich a maine / On the nice hazard of one doubtfull houre?

      Is it good / To bet all of our wealth / On one throw of the dice? To place so high a stake / On the risky hazard of one doubtful hour?

    • 1822, T. Creevey, Reminiscences, 28 Jul.:

      It has been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.

Usage notes[edit]

Sometimes used sarcastically to mean the opposite or to connote excess:

• 1710, Jonathan Swift, The Examiner No. XIV

  I have strictly observed this rule, and my imagination this minute represents before me a certain great man famous for this talent, to the constant practice of which he owes his twenty years’ reputation of the most skilful head in England, for the management of nice affairs.

• 1930, H.M. Walker, The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case

  Here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten us into.

• 1973, Cockerel Chorus, Nice One, Cyril!

  Nice one, Cyril!

Synonyms[edit]

• (easy to like: person): charming, delightful, friendly, kind, lovely, pleasant, sweet
• (easy to like: thing): charming, delightful, lovely, pleasant
• (having a pleasant taste or aroma): appetising/appetizing, delicious, moreish (informal), scrummy (slang), scrumptious (slang), tasty
• (subtle): fine, subtle

Antonyms[edit]

• (easy to like: person): horrible, horrid, nasty
• (easy to like: thing): horrible, horrid, nasty
• (having a pleasant taste or aroma): awful, disgusting, foul, horrible, horrid, nasty, nauseating, putrid, rancid, rank, sickening, distasteful, gross, unsatisfactory
• (respectable; virtuous): naughty

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• nicety

Descendants[edit]

• → Dutch: nice
• → German: nice
• → Danish: nice
• → Japanese: ナイス
• → Swedish: najs, nice
• → Norwegian:
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nice

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. (colloquial) Nicely.

   Children, play nice.

   He dresses real nice.

   • 2002, Gina Riley; Jane Turner, That’s Unusual: Scripts from Kath and Kim, Series 2, page 245:

     This riesling’s going down nice.

Interjection[edit]

nice!

1. Used to signify a job well done.

   Nice! I couldn’t have done better.

2. Used to signify approval.

   Is that your new car? Nice!

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

nice (uncountable)

1. niceness.

   • 2000, Dana Stabenow, Midnight Come Again, →ISBN, page 111:

     She had refused as kindly as she know how, using up as much nice as she had energy for because she was glad of his company when three o’clock rolled around and she started thinking about September.

   • 2013, Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most, →ISBN:

     We could debate forever about whether we have enough of one or too much of another. But I know one thing for sure: We never have too much nice.

   • 2014, Jean Illsley Clarke, Connie Dawson, &David Bredehoft, How Much Is Too Much?, →ISBN:

     It is the absence of rules and too much nice that are more likely to produce terror.

Etymology 2[edit]

Name of a Unix program used to invoke a script or program with a specified priority, with the implication that running at a lower priority is «nice» (kind, etc.) because it leaves more resources for others.

Verb[edit]

nice (third-person singular simple present nices, present participle nicing, simple past and past participle niced)

1. (transitive, computing, Unix) To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.

Derived terms[edit]

• renice

Further reading[edit]

• nice in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “nice”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• nice at OneLook Dictionary Search
• Nice at NiceDefinition.com

Anagrams[edit]

• Ince, Niec, cien, cine, cine-, icen

Czech[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈnɪt͡sɛ]
• Rhymes: -ɪtsɛ
• Hyphenation: ni‧ce

Noun[edit]

nice

1. dative/locative singular of nika

Anagrams[edit]

• Ince

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English nice.

Adjective[edit]

nice (used only predicatively, not comparable)

1. (slang) nice

   Haar nieuwe album is echt nice.

   Her new album is really nice.

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French nice, inherited from Latin nescius.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /nis/

Adjective[edit]

nice (plural nices)

1. (archaic) candid, naive

   • 1907, Colette, La retraite sentimentale, page 41:

     Oui, crédulement, vous ne comprenez pas? Entendez donc que j’ai cru, plus nice qu’une pensionnaire, au pouvoir exclusif de cet inconnu que je fuyais !

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Derived terms[edit]

• nicet

Further reading[edit]

• “nice”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English nice.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /naɪ̯s/

Adjective[edit]

nice (strong nominative masculine singular nicer, comparative (rare) nicer, superlative (extremely rare) am nicesten)

1. (colloquial) good, nice

   • 2020 December 8, Sara Tomšić, “Die Zukunft, das ist die grüne Samtcouch”, in ZEITmagazin‎^[2]:

     Na gut. Und auch, wenn ich nur das eine Regal hatte – in der Schule konnte ich durch dich mitreden. Ja, Pax, voll nice und geräumig, der Poäng-Sessel, mega gemütlich.

     Fine. And even if I only had that one shelf – thanks to you, I had a say in conversations at school. Oh, Pax, all nice and spacious, and the Poäng armchair, super comfortable.

   • 2021, “Feeling”, performed by Fatoni & Dexter:

     Ich steh’ im Club / Seh’ ziemlich nice aus / Ah, wobei, die Schuhe / Ne, scheiß drauf, ich seh’ nice aus

     I’m at the club / Lookin’ pretty good / Actually, these shoes / Nah, fuck it, I look good

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “nice” in Duden online
• “nice” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “nice”, in Online-Wortschatz-Informationssystem Deutsch (in German), Mannheim: Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, 2008–

Middle English[edit]

Adjective[edit]

nice

1. Alternative form of nyce

Turkish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Ottoman Turkish نیچه‎ (nice, “how much”), from Proto-Turkic *nēče, equative form of *nē (“what”). See ne (“what”), cognate to Karakhanid ناجا‎ (nēčē, “how much”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [niˈd͡ʒe]

Adjective[edit]

nice

1. many

Synonyms[edit]

• çok

Etymology 2[edit]

Ultimately from Proto-Turkic *nē- (“interrogative archetype”).

Adverb[edit]

nice

1. (dialectal or poetic) how

Synonyms[edit]

• nasıl

хороший, приятный, милый, красивый, славный, добрый, любезный, вкусный, элегантный

прилагательное ↓

Словосочетания

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

nicely  — приятно, хорошо, славно, мило, любезно, тонко, хорошенько, деликатно
nicety  — привередливость, тонкости, тонкость, точность, щепетильность, осторожность
overnice  — слишком разборчивый, придирчивый, изощренный

Формы слова

adjective
срав. степ. (comparative): nicer
прев. степ. (superlative): nicest

These examples may contain rude words based on your search.

These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.

Suggestions

They had been there already couple of years before, nice climate for children, nice healing muds.

Пару лет назад там уже были: для ребенка климат хороший и лечебные грязи подходят.

He does something nice for three people.

Идея состоит в том, что он делает что-то хорошее для троих людей.

I thought he was such a nice nice guy.

Мне он показался таким милым парнем.

Got a nice house nice wife nice kid.

I knew I had to choose nice girls, nice nice nice girls.

Я понимала, что мне нужно выбрать милых, хороших девушек.

It’s a nice blend and a nice balance.

I mean certainly I always had nice suits and a nice haircut.

То есть, я всегда носил хорошие костюмы и хорошую прическу.

My grandmother is also a nice woman and tells us nice stories every night.

Моя бабушка тоже хорошая женщина и рассказывает нам приятные истории каждый вечер.

They were not nice boys: nice boys don’t play rock&roll.

Они не были хорошими мальчиками: хорошие мальчики не исполняют рок-н-ролл.

Be nice and people will be nice.

Meet a nice guy, meet a nice girl…

Встретить милого парня, встретить милую девушку…».

Surely, it’s nice when people come up to you and say nice things.

But I can be nice, if you’re nice in return.

Но я могу быть милым, если ты будешь милой взамен.

Maybe now you buy nice car, and go out to meet nice lassie.

Может быть, теперь ты купишь хорошую машину и познакомишься с хорошей девушкой.

Inhibitions are always nice because they’re so nice to overcome.

Запреты всегда хороши, потому что их так приятно нарушать.

That one nice thing you made me do turned into another nice thing.

Та единственная хорошая вешь, что ты заставил меня сделать превратилась в другую хорошую вещь.

You talk in nice voices, but you don’t sound so nice.

Ты говоришь приятным голосом, но это вовсе не звучит приятно.

A nice man that part of the time likes to sleep with other nice men.

Хороший парень, который временами спит с другими хорошими парнями.

She was a nice person… smart and nice.

Someplace nice, but not too nice so there’s room for growth.

Хорошее место, но не слишком хорошее, чтобы было куда расти.

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Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks. Inflections of ‘nice‘ (adj): nicer adj comparative nicest adj superlative WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 nice /naɪs/USA pronunciation   adj., nic•er, nic•est.  pleasing; agreeable; delightful:We had a nice visit.[It + be + ~ + to + verb]It was so nice to see you again. kind; thoughtful:[be + ~ (+ to)]Be nice to guests. requiring or showing great skill, care, or tact:a nice handling of a crisis. fine; subtle:a nice distinction. refined; discriminating:a nice sense of color. Idioms Idioms nice and, (used with an adjective to express stronger sufficiency, pleasure, comfort, or the like):It’s nice and warm in here. nice•ness, n. [uncountable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 nice  (nīs),USA pronunciation adj., nic•er, nic•est.  pleasing; agreeable; delightful:a nice visit. amiably pleasant; kind:They are always nice to strangers. characterized by, showing, or requiring great accuracy, precision, skill, tact, care, or delicacy:nice workmanship;a nice shot;a nice handling of a crisis. showing or indicating very small differences; minutely accurate, as instruments:a job that requires nice measurements. minute, fine, or subtle:a nice distinction. having or showing delicate, accurate perception:a nice sense of color. refined in manners, language, etc.:Nice people wouldn’t do such things. virtuous; respectable; decorous:a nice girl. suitable or proper:That was not a nice remark. carefully neat in dress, habits, etc. (esp. of food) dainty or delicate. having fastidious, finicky, or fussy tastes:They’re much too nice in their dining habits to enjoy an outdoor barbecue. [Obs.]coy, shy, or reluctant. [Obs.]unimportant; trivial. [Obs.]wanton. Idioms make nice, to behave in a friendly, ingratiating, or conciliatory manner. Idioms nice and, sufficiently:It’s nice and warm in here. Latin nescius ignorant, incapable, equivalent. to ne- negative prefix + sci- (stem of scīre to know; see science) + -us adjective, adjectival suffix Old French: silly, simple Middle English: foolish, stupid 1250–1300 nice′ly, adv.  nice′ness, n.  2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged friendly. 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged delicate, exact, exacting, critical, scrupulous, discriminating, discerning, particular. 7.See corresponding entry in Unabridged polite. 10, 12.See corresponding entry in Unabridged finical. 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unpleasant. 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unkind. 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged careless. 9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged improper. The semantic history of nice is quite varied, as the etymology and the obsolete senses attest, and any attempt to insist on only one of its present senses as correct will not be in keeping with the facts of actual usage. If any criticism is valid, it might be that the word is used too often and has become a cliché lacking the qualities of precision and intensity that are embodied in many of its synonyms. Nice  (nēs),USA pronunciation n.  Place Namesa port in and the capital of Alpes-Maritimes, in SE France, on the Mediterranean: resort. 346,620. Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: nice /naɪs/ adj pleasant or commendable: a nice day kind or friendly: a nice gesture of help good or satisfactory: they made a nice job of it subtle, delicate, or discriminating: a nice point in the argument precise; skilful: a nice fit rare fastidious; respectable: he was not too nice about his methods obsolete foolish or ignorant delicate shy; modest wanton Etymology: 13th Century (originally: foolish): from Old French nice simple, silly, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescīre to be ignorant; see nescience ˈnicely adv ˈniceness n ˈnicish adj Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: NICE /naɪs/ n acronym for (in Britain) National Institute for Clinical Excellence: a body established in 1999 to provide authoritative guidance on current best practice in medicine and to promote high-quality cost-effective medical treatment in the NHS Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: Nice /French: nis/ n a city in SE France, on the Mediterranean: a leading resort of the French Riviera; founded by Phocaeans from Marseille in about the 3rd century bc. Pop: 342 738 (1999) ‘nice‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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