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# nice

adjective (nice, nicer, nicest)

«nice» in the English dictionary: everyday and Early Modern English — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Nice means pleasant, enjoyable or good: «a nice day». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#m1)
2. Nice means kind and friendly: «She is nice to everyone». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#m2)
3. Nice can mean good-looking or attractive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#m3)
4. Nice can be used to sound sarcastic: «Nice one!» after a mistake. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life, «nice» is one of the commonest words of praise: «Nice to meet you», «Have a nice day», «That's nice of you». In writing lessons, teachers ask pupils to choose stronger, more exact words instead of «nice» (delicious, sunny, generous). In safety, a stranger who seems nice may still be unsafe; being nice does not mean you must obey. Phrases: «nice and warm» (pleasantly warm), «nice to meet you».

### Examples

- Have a nice day! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x1)
- It's nice to meet you. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x2)
- That was nice of you to help. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x3)
- She's always nice to the younger children. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x4)
- It's a nice sunny morning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x5)
- The soup is nice and hot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x6)
- Your drawing looks really nice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x7)
- Try a stronger word than «nice» in your story. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/#x8)

### Note

Comparison: nicer, nicest. Adverb: «nicely». Do not confuse «nice» with «niece» (your brother's or sister's daughter). «Nice» (with capital N) is also a city in France, said «neece».

## Early Modern English

### Meaning

Exact, fine, or careful; sometimes showing fussiness or foolishness. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/N/nice/#m1)

### Then and now

Today it means pleasant or good; the old sense (precise, fussy) is no longer used, and the sentences use the modern sense.

### Examples

- "'You er nice feller, you is! (Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/N/nice/#x1)
- Good little dog--nice little doggie, then! (The Jungle Book) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/N/nice/#x2)
- "Here is a nice clover blossom." (Tanglewood Tales) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/N/nice/#x3)

### Note

Today: precise, fussy.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «nice» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nice/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«nice» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/nice.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «nice» in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/N/nice/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«nice» in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/emode/w/nice.html) on Mova free.