nicety

American  

[nahy-si-tee] / ˈnaɪ sɪ ti /

noun

plural

niceties

1. a delicate or fine point; punctilio.

   niceties of protocol.

2. a fine distinction; subtlety; detail.

   the niceties of the filigree work.

3. Usually niceties a refined, elegant, or choice feature, as of manner or living.

   working hard to acquire the niceties of life.

4. exactness or precision.

5. the quality of being nice; niceness.

6. delicacy of character, as of something requiring care or tact.

   a matter of considerable nicety.

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nicety British  

/ ˈnaɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. a subtle point of delicacy or distinction

   a nicety of etiquette

2. (usually plural) a refinement or delicacy

   the niceties of first-class travel

3. subtlety, delicacy, or precision

4. excessive refinement; fastidiousness

5. with precision

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Other Word Forms

• overnicety noun

Etymology

Origin of nicety

1275–1325; Middle English: silliness, extravagance, cleverness < Old French niceté. See nice, -ty ²

Explanation

Clearly, you're interested in the nicety of a word's meaning if you're checking out this website. A nicety is a fine detail or shade of meaning that anything — not just a word — can possess. Even the word nicety has niceties. The emphasis on detail can also refer to a precision or accuracy of sorts; if someone has judged something "to a nicety," they've judged it exactly. Yet another common meaning is in the sense of a minor aspect of polite behavior. Washing your hands before dinner is a "social nicety." So is covering your mouth when you cough. Now where would we be without niceties?

Example Sentences

Involving the people’s representatives in the decision is more than a constitutional nicety; it’s a key ingredient of success.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Said by anyone else, this nicety is unremarkable.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2023

Many of those places, however, cost money to access — whether it’s a gym membership or the social nicety to buy a latte at a coffee shop.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 29, 2023

Accompanying foreign leaders on trips within China is a diplomatic nicety Xi deploys only occasionally, such as when he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Xi’an in 2015.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023

For he is very wise, and weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• nuance
• refinement
• rigor
• subtlety