nice
Pronounced:
/ˈnaɪs/
Function:
adjectiveInflected forms:
nic·er; nic·estMeaning:
1 : giving pleasure or joy : good and enjoyable ▪ I hope you all had a nice time. ▪ What a nice [=pleasant] surprise! ▪ It's so nice to see you again. ▪ It's nice to be back home. ▪ It's nice to know that you're all right. ▪ It would be nice to try something different. ▪ We had a very nice dinner. ▪ It's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow. = The weather should be nice tomorrow. ▪ (US) Thank you. Have a nice day! [=goodbye] ▪ “Hello, my name is Sara.” “It's nice to meet you, Sara.” ▪ It's nice to see you, Luis. How have you been? —often used with another adjective for emphasis ▪ a nice clear sky [=a sky that is nice because it is clear] ▪ nice green grass ▪ The hotel has nice big rooms. ▪ a nice fresh salad ▪ some nice hot soup ▪ The soup is nice and hot. ▪ Make sure your room's nice and clean. ▪ The library is always nice and quiet.
2 : attractive or of good quality ▪ nice restaurants ▪ a nice car/house ▪ She wears the nicest clothes. ▪ She looks nice. [=she is attractive] ▪ He looks nice in his new suit. ▪ It's a nice idea [=the idea is a good one], but I don't think it'll work.
3 : kind, polite, and friendly ▪ She is a really nice person. ▪ He's such a nice young man. ▪ He said some very nice things about you. ▪ It's nice of you to call. ▪ Try to be nice to each other, okay? ▪ That wasn't a very nice thing to do. ▪ How nice of you to remember my birthday! ▪ As they say, “Nice guys finish last.” [=you must act in a selfish way if you want to win a competition] —see also mr. nice guy
4 : acting in a way that is correct according to social or moral rules : proper and well-behaved ▪ What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? ▪ They have such nice children.
5 : done very well ▪ That was a nice [=great, outstanding] shot! ▪ Nice work! ▪ They've done a nice job fixing up the house. —sometimes used in an ironic way to say that something was not good or not done well ▪ What a nice mess we've made of things! ▪ Nice try, but you're not going to trick me this time. ▪ You crashed her car? Oh, nice going. [=that was a stupid thing to do]
6 formal : involving a small difference : difficult to notice or recognize ▪ There is a nice distinction between those two words.
2 : attractive or of good quality ▪ nice restaurants ▪ a nice car/house ▪ She wears the nicest clothes. ▪ She looks nice. [=she is attractive] ▪ He looks nice in his new suit. ▪ It's a nice idea [=the idea is a good one], but I don't think it'll work.
3 : kind, polite, and friendly ▪ She is a really nice person. ▪ He's such a nice young man. ▪ He said some very nice things about you. ▪ It's nice of you to call. ▪ Try to be nice to each other, okay? ▪ That wasn't a very nice thing to do. ▪ How nice of you to remember my birthday! ▪ As they say, “Nice guys finish last.” [=you must act in a selfish way if you want to win a competition] —see also mr. nice guy
4 : acting in a way that is correct according to social or moral rules : proper and well-behaved ▪ What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? ▪ They have such nice children.
5 : done very well ▪ That was a nice [=great, outstanding] shot! ▪ Nice work! ▪ They've done a nice job fixing up the house. —sometimes used in an ironic way to say that something was not good or not done well ▪ What a nice mess we've made of things! ▪ Nice try, but you're not going to trick me this time. ▪ You crashed her car? Oh, nice going. [=that was a stupid thing to do]
6 formal : involving a small difference : difficult to notice or recognize ▪ There is a nice distinction between those two words.
make nice
US informal : to behave in a polite or friendly way toward other people even though you do not have kind or polite feelings towards them ▪ It's time to forget about the past and make nice.
nice and easy
informal : in a way that is slow, careful, gentle, or easy ▪ The pilot brought the plane down nice and easy. ▪ She hit the ball nice and easy. [=without a lot of force] ▪ They broke him in nice and easy. [=gently]
—nice·ness noun [noncount]