nice

nice — adjective

1. Giving you a good feeling when you see it, hear it, do it, or experience it.

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

Giving you a good feeling when you see it, hear it, do it, or experience it.

Example

We had a nice lunch at the little café near the river.

The weather was sunny and nice, so Soraya walked to the office.

Common collocations
  • nice weather
  • nice day
  • nice meal
  • nice time
  • nice place
  • nice idea
  • nice evening
Synonyms
  • pleasant

    more formal and slightly less common in everyday speech

  • lovely

    warmer and more emotional, common in British English

  • enjoyable

    focuses on the experience of doing an activity

  • agreeable

    more formal, often describes atmosphere or conditions

Antonyms
  • unpleasant

    the direct opposite, describing things that give a bad feeling

Grammar Patterns

it + be + nice + to-infinitive

nice + noun

Common Mistakes

I have a nice news for you.
I have nice news for you.
'news' is uncountable, so do not use 'a' before it.

2. Used before a positive adjective to make it stronger, giving the feeling that th

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Used before a positive adjective to make it stronger, giving the feeling that the quality is exactly as you want it.

Example

The soup is nice and hot — just what I needed on a cold day.

nice and + adjective pattern

Caio folded the towels nice and neatly, stacking them in the cupboard.

Common collocations
  • nice and warm
  • nice and clean
  • nice and quiet
  • nice and tidy
  • nice and easy
  • nice and slow
Synonyms
  • pleasantly

    an adverb, not a structure; used differently in a sentence

  • comfortably

    similar intensifying idea but used as an adverb, not in the 'nice and' pattern

Grammar Patterns

nice and + adjective

Usage Note

Only used with positive, welcome qualities such as warm, clean, quiet, and tidy. Cannot combine with negative adjectives like 'cold' (when cold is unwelcome), 'dirty', or 'noisy'.

Common Mistakes

The room is nice and cold.' (when you want warmth).
The room is nice and cool.
use with qualities the listener would welcome as pleasant.

3. Friendly, helpful, or showing care toward other people.

3.adjectiveA1
Definition

Friendly, helpful, or showing care toward other people.

Example

The nurse was very nice to the worried family and explained everything clearly.

be nice to someone

It was nice of Kemi to help us move the heavy furniture.

it is nice of someone to do something

Common collocations
  • nice to
  • nice of
  • nice enough
  • nice person
  • nice gesture
  • nice thing to say
Synonyms
  • kind

    slightly stronger and more formal than 'nice'

  • friendly

    focuses on a warm, approachable manner

  • polite

    focuses on good manners and respectfulness

  • thoughtful

    emphasises paying attention to what others need

Antonyms
  • mean

    the most common opposite in everyday speech

  • unkind

    more formal and less frequent than 'mean'

Grammar Patterns

be nice to someone

it is nice of someone to do something

be nice enough to do something

Usage Note

Superlative form 'nicest' is very common in this sense: 'She is the nicest person I have ever met.'

Common Mistakes

He was nice with me.
He was nice to me.
after 'nice' in the 'kind' sense, use the preposition 'to', not 'with'.
She is a nice person for helping me.
It was nice of her to help me.
use the pattern 'It + be + nice + of + person + to-infinitive'.

4. Involving very fine or small differences between things that are otherwise simil

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

Involving very fine or small differences between things that are otherwise similar.

Example

There is a nice distinction between 'unhappy' and 'sad' that writers learn to use.

nice distinction — fixed phrase for subtle differences

The two dishes look the same, but a nice spice difference makes one warmer.

Common collocations
  • nice distinction
  • nice difference
  • nice point
  • nice shade of meaning
  • nice question
Synonyms
  • subtle

    more commonly used for fine differences in modern English

  • fine

    used before nouns like 'fine distinction', 'fine detail'

  • delicate

    emphasises that the difference requires careful attention

Antonyms
  • clear

    a clear difference is easy to see; the opposite of a subtle one

  • obvious

    an obvious difference does not need careful attention

Grammar Patterns

nice + noun of difference

Usage Note

Always used before a noun in this sense. Common in academic, legal, and analytical contexts. Unlike other senses of 'nice', this one cannot be used predicatively ('*The distinction is nice' sounds dated).

Common Mistakes

That is a nice point.' (when you mean 'a good point').
That is an interesting point.
The 'nice point' construction means a subtle or precise detail, not a good one. Avoid using this sense in casual conversation as it may cause confusion.
Idioms

as nice as pie

idiom

Someone who is unexpectedly very kind and friendly.

After the argument, my boss was as nice as pie to me.

The new neighbor was as nice as pie, offering to help us move.

have a nice day!

idiom

A polite phrase used when saying goodbye, especially to customers.

The cashier smiled and said, "Have a nice day!" as I left.

"Have a nice day!" the receptionist called out to the visitors.

make nice (with somebody)

idiom

To act friendly or polite toward someone, even if you do not feel that way.

Maya decided to make nice with her coworker after their argument.

Diego tried to make nice with his ex-wife at the family dinner.

nice one!

idiom

Used to express approval or delight when something good happens or someone says something funny.

"Nice one!" shouted Tom when his friend scored the winning goal.

You fixed the computer yourself? Nice one, Sara!

nice work!

idiom

Used to praise someone for doing something well.

"Nice work!" the teacher said after Aiden finished his project early.

You completed the report on time. Nice work, Brian!

nice work if you can get it

idiom

Said when you envy someone's easy success or good fortune.

She earns a lot just for posting photos online. Nice work if you can get it.

He got paid to travel the world? Nice work if you can get it.

Word family

  • nicely
    adverbB1
  • niceness
    nounB2
  • niceish
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Nice' is the most general and versatile word for describing something that gives you a good feeling, used in everyday speech across all contexts. 'Pleasant' is more formal and often describes atmosphere, weather, or experiences ('a pleasant afternoon'). 'Lovely' carries stronger emotional warmth and is very common in British English ('a Lovely garden', 'what a Lovely idea!'). 'Enjoyable' focuses specifically on activities or experiences that you take pleasure in ('an Enjoyable concert'). 'Agreeable' is the most formal and least common of the group, typically describing conditions, flavours, or people's manners ('an Agreeable climate'). For everyday conversation, 'nice' is your safest choice; in formal writing, 'pleasant' often works better. Example: 'The weather was nice, so we sat outside' (casual) vs. 'The weather was pleasant, so we dined al fresco' (more formal).

pleasant ↗lovely ↗enjoyable ↗agreeable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • nice and (adjective)

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The word comes from Latin 'nescius', meaning 'ignorant' (ne- 'not' + scire 'to know'). It passed into Old French as 'nice' meaning 'foolish, simple-minded', and entered Middle English with that negative sense. Over the 14th–16th centuries the meaning shifted gradually: from 'foolish' to 'shy, reserved', then to 'fussy, precise' (as in 'a nice distinction'), then to 'delicate, refined', and finally by the 18th century to the modern positive meaning 'pleasant, agreeable'. The old 'precise' sense survives today in phrases like 'nice distinction' and 'nice point'.