nicety
[ nahy-si-tee ]
/ ˈnaɪ sɪ ti /
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.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- nicene council,
- nicene creed,
- niceness,
- niceno-constantinopolitan creed,
- nicetas,
- nicey-nicey,
- niche,
- niche market,
- nichiren,
- nichiren buddhism
Origin of nicety
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for nicety
nicety
/ (ˈnaɪsɪtɪ) /
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
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper