nicety

[nahy-si-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nicety ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ni·ce·ties.

a delicate or fine point; punctilio: niceties of protocol.

a fine distinction; subtlety; detail: the niceties of the filigree work.

Usually niceties. a refined, elegant, or choice feature, as of manner or living: working hard to acquire the niceties of life.

exactness or precision.

the quality of being nice; niceness.

delicacy of character, as of something requiring care or tact: a matter of considerable nicety.

Origin of nicety

1275–1325; Middle English: silliness, extravagance, cleverness < Old French niceté. See nice, -ty²

Related formso·ver·ni·ce·ty, noun, plural o·ver·ni·ce·ties.

Can be confusednice niceness nicety

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nicety

refinement, subtlety, rigor, nuance, meticulousness, detail, precision, shade, exactness

Examples from the Web for nicety

Historical Examples of nicety

For to exaggerate with judgment one must begin by measuring with nicety.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
Calculating the instant to a nicety, he paid off the sheet and pulled up the tiller.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
To the college student life is not classified and systematized to a nicety.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper
It was to accomplish this nicety that the principle of the club was found to be so well adapted.
The Book-Hunter
John Hill Burton
He had gauged the character of his most uncompromising and powerful enemy to a nicety.
Half a Hero
Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for nicety

nicety

noun plural -ties

a subtle point of delicacy or distinctiona nicety of etiquette

(usually plural) a refinement or delicacythe niceties of first-class travel

subtlety, delicacy, or precision

excessive refinement; fastidiousness

to a nicety with precision

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nicety

mid-14c., "folly, stupidity," from Old French niceté "foolishness, childishness, simplicity," from nice "silly" (see nice). Underwent sense evolution parallel to nice, arriving at "minute, subtle point" 1580s and "exactitude" in 1650s. Phrase to a nicety "exactly" is attested from 1795.