Nice Adjective - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes

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Definition of nice adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

nice adjective   /naɪs/  /naɪs/(comparative nicer, superlative nicest)Idioms jump to other results

pleasant/attractive

1.   pleasant or attractive
   • a nice day/smile/place
   • nice weather
   • Did you have a nice time?
   • You look very nice.
   • We all had the flu last week—it wasn't very nice.
   • ‘Do you want to come, too?’ ‘Yes, that would be nice.’
   • The nicest thing about her is that she never criticizes us.
   • It was a nice touch to end the film as it started.
   • it is nice to do something It's nice to know that somebody appreciates what I do.
   • Nice to meet you! (= a friendly greeting when you meet somebody for the first time)
   • It is nice doing something It's been nice meeting you.
   • it is nice that… It's nice that you can come with us.
   • it would be nice if… It would be nice if he moved to London.
   Extra Examples
   • It's nice to have a few days off.
   • I cleaned the room to make it nice for the others when they came home.
   • It had not been a particularly nice experience.
   • It's nice for Mum to get out more.
   • That bread smells nice.
   • If it's a nice day tomorrow, shall we go out?
   • The picture looks good and Dillon does a nice job behind the camera.
   • DeNiro added some nice touches of comedy to his role.
   • Other nice touches include serving bottled water instead of tap and warming the plates before the meal is served.
   • It would be nice to see a few more people at the next meeting.
   • It's nice to see the old skills being used every now and then.
   • It is nice to have your efforts acknowledged.
   Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
   • be
   • feel
   • look
   • …
   adverb
   • extremely
   • fairly
   • very
   • …
   preposition
   • about
   • for
   • to
   • …
   phrases
   • nice little
   See full entry

   Definitions on the go

   Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

   
2.   used before adjectives or adverbs to emphasize how pleasant something is
   • a nice hot bath
   • a nice long walk
   • It's a nice little place you have here.
   • nice and… He seemed nice and friendly.
   • It was nice and warm yesterday.
   • Everyone arrived nice and early.
   • I felt nice and cosy.
   Nice and with another adjective cannot be used before a noun: a nice and quiet place .

kind/friendly

3.   kind; friendly
   • Our new neighbours are very nice.
   • He's a really nice guy.
   • She's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
   • nice to somebody Be nice to me. I'm not feeling well.
   • nice of somebody (to do something) It was nice of them to invite us.
   • nice about something I complained to the manager and he was very nice about it.
   • I asked him in the nicest possible way to put his cigarette out.
   opposite nastyVocabulary Building Nice and very niceNice and very niceInstead of saying that something is nice or very nice, try to use more precise and interesting adjectives to describe things:
   • pleasant/perfect/beautiful weather
   • a cosy/a comfortable/an attractive room
   • a pleasant/an interesting/an enjoyable experience
   • expensive/fashionable/smart clothes
   • a kind/a charming/an interesting man
   • The party was fun.
   In conversation you can also use great, wonderful, lovely (especially British English) and brilliant (British English):
   • The party was great.
   • We had a brilliant weekend.
   note at good see also Mr Nice GuyExtra Examples
   • Can't you be nice to each other for once?
   • an awfully nice man
   • Some of the boys were nice enough, but she didn't want to go out with them.
   • I'm sure she's perfectly nice really.
   • His mother sounded very nice on the phone.
   • He was incredibly nice about it, though I am sure it caused him a lot of trouble.
   Topics Personal qualitiesa1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
   • be
   • feel
   • look
   • …
   adverb
   • extremely
   • fairly
   • very
   • …
   preposition
   • about
   • for
   • to
   • …
   phrases
   • nice little
   See full entry

not nice

4. (ironic) bad or unpleasant
   • That's a nice thing to say!
   • That's a nice way to speak to your mother!

small details

5. (formal) involving a very small detail or difference synonym subtle
   • a nice point of law (= one that is difficult to decide)
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘stupid’): from Old French, from Latin nescius ‘ignorant’, from nescire ‘not know’. Other early senses included ‘coy, reserved’, giving rise to ‘fastidious, scrupulous’: this led both to the sense ‘fine, subtle’ (regarded by some as the “correct” sense), and to the main current senses.

Idioms as nice as pie

1. (informal) very kind and friendly, especially when you are not expecting it

have a nice day!

1. (informal, especially North American English) a friendly way of saying goodbye, especially to customers

make nice (with somebody)

1. (North American English, informal) to be pleasant or polite to somebody, especially when you do not really want to
   • He tried to make nice with his ex, even though he was still angry with her.
   • Cole and his opponent made nice for the cameras at the press event.

nice one!

1. (British English, informal) used to show you are pleased when something good has happened or somebody has said something funny
   • You got the job? Nice one!

nice work!

1. (informal, especially British English) used to show you are pleased when somebody has done something well
   • You did a good job today. Nice work, James!

nice work if you can get it

1. (informal) used when you wish that you had somebody’s success or good luck and think they have achieved it with little effort
   • He was paid £200 for a ten-minute speech? Nice work if you can get it.
   Topics Successc2

See nice in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee nice in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: nice

Other results

All matches

• Mr Nice Guy noun
• nice-looking adjective
• have a nice day!
• there’s lovely, nice, etc.

Idioms

• have a nice day!
• there’s lovely, nice, etc.

Nearby words

• Nicaragua noun
• Nicaraguan noun, adjective
• nice adjective
• nice-looking adjective
• nicely adverb

prime time noun From the Topic TV, radio and news C1 Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day