different between exact vs nice

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Medieval Latin exactare, from Latin exactus, perfect passive participle of exig? (“demand, claim as due" or "measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + ag? (“drive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???zækt/
• Rhymes: -ækt

Adjective

exact (comparative exacter or more exact, superlative exactest or most exact)

1. Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.

2. Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual.
   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

3. Precisely or definitely conceived or stated; strict.
4. (algebra, of a sequence of groups connected by homomorphisms) Such that the kernel of one homomorphism is the image of the preceding one.

Synonyms

• (precisely agreeing): perfect, true, correct, precise
• (precisely or definitely conceived or stated): strict
• spot on

Antonyms

• (precisely agreeing): inexact, imprecise, approximate
• (precisely or definitely conceived or stated): loose

Derived terms

• exactly
• exactness
• exact sequence

Translations

Verb

exact (third-person singular simple present exacts, present participle exacting, simple past and past participle exacted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way.

   to exact tribute, fees, or obedience from someone

   • He said into them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

   • 2018, Edo Konrad, "Living in the constant shadow of settler violence", +972 Magazine:

   • 2020 September 19, statement of Clarence Thomas on the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg[1]:

     She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement.

   • 2020, Kristine Henriksen Garroway, John W. Martens, Children and Methods (page 139)

     […] a generic, strikingly universal, deity, “ha-elohim,” who tests, who exacts and extracts, and who is the object of fear […]

2. (transitive) To make desirable or necessary.
   • 1632, Philip Massinger, The Maid of Honour

     My designs exact me in another place.

3. (transitive) To inflict; to forcibly obtain or produce.

   to exact revenge on someone

Usage notes

• Often used with the preposition from or on.

Derived terms

• exactable
• exacter
• exacting
• exactor

Translations

Adverb

exact (comparative more exact, superlative most exact)

1. exactly

Synonyms

• (error-free manner): accurately, just, precisely; see also Thesaurus:exactly

Further reading

• exact in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• exact in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• exact at OneLook Dictionary Search

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French exact, from Middle French exact, from Latin ex?ctus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?s?kt/
• Hyphenation: exact
• Rhymes: -?kt

Adjective

exact (comparative exacter, superlative exactst)

1. exact, precise

Inflection

Derived terms

• exactheid

Descendants

• Afrikaans: eksak

French

Etymology

From Latin ex?ctus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.zakt/, (old-fashioned) /??.za/

Adjective

exact (feminine singular exacte, masculine plural exacts, feminine plural exactes)

1. exact; precise

Derived terms

• exactement
• science exacte

Further reading

• “exact” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French exact.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e??zakt/

Adjective

exact m or n (feminine singular exact?, masculine plural exac?i, feminine and neuter plural exacte)

1. exact, precise

Declension

Adverb

exact

1. exactly, precisely

See also

• precis

English

Alternative forms

• nyc (non-standard)
• noice (slang)

Pronunciation

• enPR: n?s, IPA^(key): /na?s/
• Rhymes: -a?s

Etymology 1

From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nescire (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + scire (“to know”).

Adjective

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. Pleasant, satisfactory. [from 18th c.]
   • 1998, Baha Men – “Who Let the Dogs Out?”

     When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)

   • 2008, Rachel Cooke, The Guardian, 20 Apr.:

     "What's difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you're not quite sure."

2. Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.]
3. Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.]

4. (with and) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]
5. (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th-17th c.]
6. (now rare) Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy. [from 14th c.]
   • 1999, Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford 2008, p.83:

     But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice [transl. wählerisch] in my dealings with the remainder.

7. (obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict. [16th-19th c.]
   • 1818, Jane Austen, Persuasion, chapter 16:

     "Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential."

8. Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle. [from 16th c.]
   • 1914: Saki, Laura:

     "It's her own funeral, you know," said Sir Lulworth; "it's a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show respect to one's own mortal remains."

   • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p.131:

     It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis is Moslem or gnostic.

   • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p.242:

     Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.

9. (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
10. (obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky. [16th-19th c.]
    • 1822, T. Creevey, Reminiscences, 28 Jul.:

      It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.

Usage notes

Sometimes used sarcastically to mean the opposite or to connote excess:

• 1710, Jonathan Swift, The Examiner No. XIV

  I have strictly observed this rule, and my imagination this minute represents before me a certain great man famous for this talent, to the constant practice of which he owes his twenty years’ reputation of the most skilful head in England, for the management of nice affairs.

• 1930, H.M. Walker, The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case

  Here's another nice mess you've gotten us into.

• 1973, Cockerel Chorus, Nice One, Cyril!

  Nice one, Cyril!

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

• (easy to like: person): horrible, horrid, nasty
• (easy to like: thing): horrible, horrid, nasty
• (having a pleasant taste or aroma): awful, disgusting, foul, horrible, horrid, nasty, nauseating, putrid, rancid, rank, sickening, distasteful, gross, unsatisfactory
• (respectable; virtuous): naughty

Derived terms

Related terms

• nicety

Translations

Descendants

• ? Dutch: nice
• ? German: nice
• ? Danish: nice
• ? Swedish: najs, nice
• ? Norwegian:
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nice

Adverb

nice (comparative nicer, superlative nicest)

1. (colloquial) Nicely.

Interjection

nice!

1. Used to signify a job well done.

2. Used to signify approval.

Translations

Noun

nice (uncountable)

1. 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)

1. (transitive, computing, Unix) To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.

Derived terms

• renice

Further reading

• nice in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• nice in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• nice at OneLook Dictionary Search
• Nice at NiceDefinition.com

Anagrams

• Ince, Niec, cien, cine, cine-, icen

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?n?t?s?]
• Rhymes: -?ts?
• Hyphenation: ni?ce

Noun

nice

1. dative/locative singular of nika

Anagrams

• Ince

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English nice.

Adjective

nice (used only predicatively, not comparable)

1. (slang) nice

French

Etymology

From Old French nice, inherited from Latin nescius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nis/

Adjective

nice (plural nices)

1. (archaic) candid, naive

Derived terms

• nicet

Further reading

• “nice” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Etymology

English nice

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na??s/

Adjective

nice (comparative nicer, superlative am nicesten)

1. (colloquial) good, nice

Further reading

• “nice” in Duden online
• “nice” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle English

Adjective

nice

1. Alternative form of nyce

Turkish

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish ????? (nice, “how much”), from Proto-Turkic *n??e, equative form of *n? (“what”). See ne (“what”), cognate to Karakhanid ????? (n???, “how much”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ni?d??e]

Adjective

nice (comparative daha nice, superlative en nice)

1. many

Synonyms

• çok

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Proto-Turkic *n?- (“interrogative archetype”).

Adverb

nice

1. (dialectal or poetic) how

Synonyms

• nas?l