nice

== English == === Alternative forms === nyc (nonstandard) noice (slang) === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈnaɪ̯s/ (Inland Southern US, General South African, /aɪ̯/-ungliding) IPA(key): /ˈnaːs/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈnɑ̟ɪ̯s/, /ˈnɒ̈ɪ̯s/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈnɑ̟e̝s/, /ˈnɒ̈e̝s/ (Scotland, Ireland, Falkland Islands, Canada, Canadian raising) IPA(key): /ˈnɐɪ̯s/, /ˈnɜɪ̯s/, /ˈnʌɪ̯s/, /ˈnəɪ̯s/ Rhymes: -aɪs Hyphenation: nice Homophone: gneiss === Etymology 1 === 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”). ==== Adjective ==== nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest) (chiefly informal) Pleasant, satisfactory, complimentary. [from 18th c.] (chiefly informal) Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.] Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.] (with and, chiefly informal) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.] (chiefly informal) Giving a favorable review or having a favorable impression. (chiefly informal) Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th–17th c.] (now rare) Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy. [from 14th c.] (dated) Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious. [from 14th c.] (obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th–19th c.] Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle. [from 16th c.] (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty. (obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th–19th c.] ===== Usage notes ===== Sometimes used sarcastically to mean the opposite or to connote excess: ===== Synonyms ===== (easy to like: person): charming, delightful, friendly, kind, lovely, pleasant, sweet (easy to like: thing): charming, delightful, lovely, pleasant (having a pleasant taste or aroma): appetising/appetizing, delicious, moreish (informal), scrummy (slang), scrumptious (slang), tasty (subtle): fine, subtle ===== Antonyms ===== (antonym(s) of “easy to like: person”): horrible, horrid, nasty (antonym(s) of “easy to like: thing”): horrible, horrid, nasty (antonym(s) of “having a pleasant taste or aroma”): awful, disgusting, foul, horrible, horrid, nasty, nauseating, putrid, rancid, rank, sickening, distasteful, gross, unsatisfactory (antonym(s) of “respectable; virtuous”): naughty ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== nicety ===== Descendants ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Adverb ==== nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest) (colloquial) Nicely. ==== Interjection ==== nice! Used to signify a job well done. Used to signify approval. ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== nice (uncountable) niceness. === Etymology 2 === 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. ==== Verb ==== nice (third-person singular simple present nices, present participle nicing, simple past and past participle niced) (transitive, computing, Unix) To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority. ===== Derived terms ===== === Further reading === “nice”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “nice”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “nice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. Nice at NiceDefinition.com === Anagrams === Ince, Niec, cien, cine, cine-, icen == Czech == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈnɪt͡sɛ] Rhymes: -ɪtsɛ Hyphenation: ni‧ce === Noun === nice dative/locative singular of nika === Anagrams === Ince == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from English nice. === Adjective === nice (comparative nicer, superlative meest nice or nicest) (slang) nice ==== Declension ==== == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French nice, inherited from Latin nescius. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /nis/ Rhymes: -is === Adjective === nice (plural nices) (archaic) candid, naive ==== Derived terms ==== nicet === Further reading === “nice”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == German == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English nice. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /naɪ̯s/ === Adjective === nice (strong nominative masculine singular nicer, comparative (rare) nicer, superlative (extremely rare) am nicesten) (colloquial) good, nice ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “nice” in Duden online “nice”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[6] (in German) “nice”, in Online-Wortschatz-Informationssystem Deutsch (in German), Mannheim: Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, 2008– == Middle English == === Adjective === nice alternative form of nyce == Spanish == === Alternative forms === nais === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English nice. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnais/ [ˈnai̯s] Rhymes: -ais Syllabification: nice === Adjective === nice (invariable) nice Synonym: chulisnais ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. === Further reading === “nice”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010 == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English nice. === Adjective === nice (slang) alternative form of najs (“nice”) == Turkish == === Etymology === From Ottoman Turkish نیچه (niçe, “how much”), from Old Anatolian Turkish نچه (nẹçe) from Proto-Turkic *nēče, equative form of *nē (“what”). See ne (“what”), cognate to Karakhanid ناجا (nēčē, “how much”), Gagauz nicä, Azerbaijani neçə. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈni.d͡ʒe/ Hyphenation: ni‧ce === Adjective === nice many Synonym: çok === Adverb === nice (dialectal or poetic) how Synonym: nasıl (dialectal or poetic) how many ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “nice”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu Ayverdi, İlhan (2010), “nice”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “nice”, in Nişanyan Sözlük