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• nice
  nice

  adjective

  pleasing; agreeable; delightful.
• Nice
  Nice

  noun

  a port in and the capital of Alpes-Maritimes, in southeastern France, on the Mediterranean: known as a vacation resort.
• NICE
  NICE

  acronym

  (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

nice

¹ American  

[nahys] / naɪs /

adjective

• nicer,
  comparative
• nicest
  superlative

1. pleasing; agreeable; delightful.

   a nice visit.

   Antonyms:

   unpleasant

2. amiably pleasant; kind.

   They are always nice to strangers.

   Synonyms:

   friendly

   Antonyms:

   unkind

3. characterized by, showing, or requiring great accuracy, precision, skill, tact, care, or delicacy.

   nice workmanship; a nice shot; a nice handling of a crisis.

   Synonyms:

   particular, discerning, discriminating, scrupulous, critical, exacting, exact, delicate

   Antonyms:

   careless

4. showing or indicating very small differences; minutely accurate, as instruments.

   a job that requires nice measurements.

5. minute, fine, or subtle.

   a nice distinction.

6. having or showing delicate, accurate perception.

   a nice sense of color.

7. refined in manners, language, etc..

   Nice people wouldn't do such things.

   Synonyms:

   polite

8. virtuous; respectable; decorous.

   a nice girl.

9. suitable or proper.

   That was not a nice remark.

   Antonyms:

   improper

10. carefully neat in dress, habits, etc.

    Synonyms:

    finicky, finical

11. (especially of food) dainty or delicate.

12. having fastidious, finicky, or fussy tastes.

    They're much too nice in their dining habits to enjoy an outdoor barbecue.

    Synonyms:

    finicky, finical

13. Obsolete. coy, shy, or reluctant.

14. Obsolete. unimportant; trivial.

15. Obsolete. wanton.

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idioms

1. nice and, sufficiently.

   It's nice and warm in here.

2. make nice, to behave in a friendly, ingratiating, or conciliatory manner.

Nice ² American  

[nees] / nis /

noun

1. a port in and the capital of Alpes-Maritimes, in southeastern France, on the Mediterranean: known as a vacation resort.

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Nice ¹ British  

/ nis /

noun

1. 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)

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nice ² British  

/ naɪs /

adjective

1. pleasant or commendable

   a nice day

2. kind or friendly

   a nice gesture of help

3. good or satisfactory

   they made a nice job of it

4. subtle, delicate, or discriminating

   a nice point in the argument

5. precise; skilful

   a nice fit

6. rare fastidious; respectable

   he was not too nice about his methods

7. obsolete

   1. foolish or ignorant

   2. delicate

   3. shy; modest

   4. wanton

8. pleasingly

   it's nice and cool

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NICE ³ British  

/ naɪs /

acronym

1. (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

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Nice Cultural  

1. City in southeastern France on the Mediterranean Sea.

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Sensitive Note

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.

Discover More

Nice is the most famous resort of the French Riviera.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• niceness
  noun
• overniceness
  noun
• unniceness
  noun
• nicish
  adjective
• overnice
  adjective
• unnice
  adjective
• nicely
  adverb
• overnicely
  adverb
• unnicely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• nicer
  comparative
• nicest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of nice¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: “foolish, stupid,” from Old French: “silly, simple,” from Latin nescius “ignorant, incapable,” equivalent to ne- negative prefix + sci- (stem of scīre “to know”; see science) + -us adjective suffix

Origin of Nice²

From French, ( Provençal Niça ), from Latin Nīcaea, from Greek Nīkaía, proper noun use of adjective nīkaía “victorious,” from nī́kē “victory”

Explanation

To be nice is to be pleasant and good-natured. Polite people and sunny days are nice. Nice people and situations are enjoyable and don't cause problems. If you say something rude (or honest) to your sibling, your parents might say "Be nice!" This word is a little vague and overused. Like interesting, it's hard to know what people really mean when they say nice. One meaning is easier to figure out: if you score a goal in hockey, that was a nice shot. That means you were skillful and did well — you shot the puck nicely.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nice Nice NICE nicer nicest

"These are the three platforms leading the charge in quantum computing, so it's a nice benchmark and comparison for the quantum community," added Monroe.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

“He’s done a really nice job with all the new faces around him, which is hard to do at this position,” Riley said of Maiava.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

"It is nice to being part of an England team and set-up that is actually really, really driven."

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

I blurted out: “Well, the dog is in the car, so I’ll get going now. But it was so nice to meet you.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

‘Hm, nice and sweet. Narik will be pleased.’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

The actions along the Mediterranean coast to bar access to the harbours of Nice and Sete, and a depot in Frontignan, come as petrol prices at French pumps near an all-time high.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Nice showcase for Rolie’s organ work, though, on one of the last Journey singles he played on before leaving the band.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

In the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area, dense development and heavy tourism make the challenge especially demanding.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Her “no Mr. Nice Guy” approach to enforcing the terms of a lease is also within her rights, her defenders say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

“They’ve built a pillbox by the post office, and they’ve taken up all the old railings. Um. Aunt Hermione’s living in Nice, and oh yes, Betty broke Uncle Clem’s vase.”

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Lifestyle changes, as well as treatment, could help to prevent more serious illness, says NICE.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Appeared in the April 29, 2026, print edition as 'Notable & Quotable: NICE'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

"When final guidance is issued by NICE, currently expected on 5 November 2025, the department will consider it," it said.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025

On Friday the DoH said that NICE, a non-departmental public body tasked with producing guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill-health, "published guidance recommending cabotegravir for preventing HIV-1 in adults and young people".

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025

NICE, France.—Superbly situated on the shores of the Mediterranean is the City of Nice.

From Shepp's Photographs of the World by James W. Shepp

There was little exclusive about the space beyond nicer chairs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

“They always say LSU has more money, the nicer facilities, bigger fan base, bigger stadium,” Chambliss said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

“I have a nicer car now,” she says, laughing at the memory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The veteran entertainer Christopher Biggins said Cricket was "unbelievably fantastic, I don't think I met a nicer man ever".

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Even her teachers back home had been nicer to her when they knew she was leaving.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Howe had made them a horrible team to play against, in the nicest possible way.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Brandreth described Dame Penelope as one of the nicest and kindest people.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

It was the nicest lounge breakfast spread I’ve seen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

The polite adieu was apropos for a player some fans considered the show’s nicest ever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

She was the youngest, nicest teacher in the school and the best dresser.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia