nice
[ nahys ]
/ naɪs /
adjective, nic·er, nic·est.
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Idioms for nice
make nice,
to behave in a friendly, ingratiating, or conciliatory manner.
nice and,
sufficiently: It's nice and warm in here.
Origin of nice
1250–1300; Middle English: foolish, stupid < Old French: silly, simple < Latin
nescius ignorant, incapable, equivalent to
ne- negative prefix +
sci- (stem of
scīre to know; see
science) +
-us adj. suffix
usage note for nice
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM nice
Words nearby nice
Definition for nice (2 of 3)
Nice
[ nees ]
/ nis /
noun
a port in and the capital of Alpes-Maritimes, in SE France, on the Mediterranean: resort.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH Nice
nice NiceDefinition for nice (3 of 3)
Alpes-Maritimes
[ alp-ma-ree-teem ]
/ alp ma riˈtim /
noun
a department in SE France. 1527 sq. mi. (3955 sq. km). Capital: Nice.
Example sentences from the Web for nice
British Dictionary definitions for nice (1 of 4)
nice
/ (naɪs) /
adjective
Derived forms of nice
nicely, adverb niceness, noun nicish, adjectiveWord Origin for nice
C13 (originally: foolish): from Old French
nice simple, silly, from Latin
nescius ignorant, from
nescīre to be ignorant; see
nescience
British Dictionary definitions for nice (2 of 4)
Nice
/ (French nis) /
noun
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)
British Dictionary definitions for nice (3 of 4)
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
British Dictionary definitions for nice (4 of 4)
Alpes-Maritimes
/ (French alp maritim) /
noun
a department of the SE corner of France in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region. Capital: Nice. Pop: 1 045 973 (2003 est). Area: 4298 sq km (1676 sq miles)
Cultural definitions for nice
notes for Nice
Nice is the most famous resort of the French
Riviera.