Nice Meaning
/ˈnaɪ̯s/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjPleasant, satisfactory.
adjPleasant, satisfactory, complimentary.
Sentence Examples
"That's very nice of you," Willie answered.
Your dress is very nice.
I have a nice present to give you.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She received a ____ compliment from her boss about her excellent work.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a very ____ surprise to see so many old friends at the party.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She received a ____ compliment from her boss about her excellent work.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a very ____ surprise to see so many old friends at the party.