Etymology From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
"It's a lot nicer than going round by the road; that is so dusty and hot," said Diana practically, peeping into her dinner basket and mentally calculating if the three juicy, toothsome, raspberry tarts reposing there were divided among ten girls, how many bites each girl would have.1908 June, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, →OCLC:
2 more examples
When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)1998, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”, performed by Baha Men:
What's difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you're not quite sure.2008 April 19, Rachel Cooke, quoting David Lodge, “Nice work”, in The Observer, →ISSN:
Yes, please tell me how Shillary is the nicest corporate oligarchical servant, and how she will lovingly sell out the people who voted for her to her banker masters, with a twinkle in her fellating eye.2016 February 13, Gene Lyons, anonymous quotee, “Understanding the 'Bernie Bros'”, in The Daily Journal, volume 83, number 37, page A11:
3
Respectable; virtuous.
What is a nice person like you doing in a place like this?
She was so nice, in fact, that she wouldn't let me put my hand underneath or even on top of her bra, and so I finished with her, although obviously I didn't tell her why.1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 14:
4
Informal, With and Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite.
The soup is nice and hot.
We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
5
Informal Giving a favorable review or having a favorable impression.
For Candy Crush Saga, the critics were far nicer than the audience (7.9/10 vs. 3.1/10).
6
Informal Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly
Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice To change true rules for odd inventions.c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
8
Archaic Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy.
There is nothing he seemed to be more carefull of than of his honesty, and observe a kinde of decencie of his person, and orderly decorum in his habits, were it on foot or on horsebacke. He was exceeding nice in performing his word or promise.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 2, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
Mr Blifil, I am confident, understands himself better than to think of seeing my niece any more this morning, after what hath happened. Women are of a nice contexture; and our spirits, when disordered, are not to be recomposed in a moment.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:
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But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice [translating wählerisch] in my dealings with the remainder.1999, Sigmund Freud, translated by Joyce Crick, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford, published 2008, page 83:
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Dated Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious.
Choice, nice in eating; fastidiosus in edendo.1898, Joseph Bosworth, T. Northcote Toller, “cís”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 156:
10
Obsolete Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict.
“Well, my dear,” he deliberately began, “considering we never saw her before, she seems a very pretty sort of young lady; and I dare say she was very much pleased with you. She speaks a little too quick. A little quickness of voice there is which rather hurts the ear. But I believe I am nice; I do not like strange voices; and nobody speaks like you and poor Miss Taylor. ..."1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 14, in Emma: […], volume II, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:
"Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential."1818, Jane Austen, chapter 16, in Persuasion:
11
Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle.
"It's her own funeral, you know," said Sir Lulworth; "it's a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show respect to one's own mortal remains."1914, Saki, Laura:
It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis is Moslem or gnostic.1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 131:
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Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador, published 2007, page 242:
[W]ere it good / To ſet the exact wealth of al our ſtates / Al at one caſt? to ſet ſo rich a maine / On the nice hazard of one doubtfull houre?c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.1822 July 28, T. Creevey, Reminiscences:
Etymology From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
This riesling's going down nice.2002, Gina Riley, Jane Turner, That's Unusual: Scripts from Kath and Kim, Series 2, page 245:
nice
intj
Etymology From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
1
Used to signify a job well done.
Nice! I couldn't have done better.
2
Used to signify approval.
Is that your new car? Nice!
nice
noun
Etymology From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
1
niceness.
She had refused as kindly as she know how, using up as much nice as she had energy for because she was glad of his company when three o'clock rolled around and she started thinking about September.2000, Dana Stabenow, Midnight Come Again, →ISBN, page 111:
We could debate forever about whether we have enough of one or too much of another. But I know one thing for sure: We never have too much nice.2013, Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most, →ISBN:
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It is the absence of rules and too much nice that are more likely to produce terror.2014, Jean Illsley Clarke, Connie Dawson, David Bredehoft, How Much Is Too Much?, →ISBN:
nice
verb
Etymology Name of a Unix program used to invoke a script or program with a specified priority, with the implication that running at a lower priority is "nice" (kind, etc.) because it leaves more resources for others.
1
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, SciencesUnix To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.