different between nice vs delicate
nice
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)
- 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."
- 1998, Baha Men – “Who Let the Dogs Out?”
- Of a person: friendly, attractive. [from 18th c.]
- Respectable; virtuous. [from 18th c.]
- (with and) Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite. [from 18th c.]
- (obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish. [14th-17th c.]
- (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.
- 1999, Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford 2008, p.83:
- (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."
- 1818, Jane Austen, Persuasion, chapter 16:
- 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.
- 1914: Saki, Laura:
- (obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.
- (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.
- 1822, T. Creevey, Reminiscences, 28 Jul.:
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)
- (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
- 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
- dative/locative singular of nika
Anagrams
- Ince
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from English nice.
Adjective
nice (used only predicatively, not comparable)
- (slang) nice
French
Etymology
From Old French nice, inherited from Latin nescius.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nis/
Adjective
nice (plural nices)
- (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)
- (colloquial) good, nice
Further reading
- “nice” in Duden online
- “nice” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Middle English
Adjective
nice
- 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)
- many
Synonyms
- çok
Etymology 2
Ultimately from Proto-Turkic *n?- (“interrogative archetype”).
Adverb
nice
- (dialectal or poetic) how
Synonyms
- nas?l
nice From the web:
- what nice words start with e
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- what nice words start with a
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- what nice words start with d
delicate
English
Etymology
From Middle English delicat, from Latin delicatus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, in Medieval Latin also fine, slender”), from delicia, usually in plural deliciae (“pleasure, delight, luxury”), from delicere (“to allure”), from de (“away”) + lacere (“to allure, entice”). Compare Spanish delgado (“thin, skinny”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?d?l?k?t/
Adjective
delicate (comparative more delicate, superlative most delicate)
- Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
- Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.
- Intended for use with fragile items.
- Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings.
- Of weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship.
- (informal) Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.
- Please don't speak so loudly: I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning.
- (obsolete) Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
- circa 1660, John Evelyn (author), William Bray (editor), The Diary of John Evelyn, volume I of II (1901), entry for the 19th of August in 1641, page 29:
- Haerlem is a very delicate town and hath one of the fairest churches of the Gothic design I had ever seen.
- circa 1660, John Evelyn (author), William Bray (editor), The Diary of John Evelyn, volume I of II (1901), entry for the 19th of August in 1641, page 29:
- Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.
- Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful.
- circa 1603, William Shakespeare, Othello, act II, scene iii, lines 18 and 20–21:
- Cassio: She’s a most exquisite lady.…Indeed, she’s a most fresh and delicate creature.
- circa 1603, William Shakespeare, Othello, act II, scene iii, lines 18 and 20–21:
- Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour.
- Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
- Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.
- Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes.
Synonyms
- (easily damaged): fragile
Related terms
- delicacy
- delicately
- delicatessen
- delicious
- delight
Translations
Noun
delicate (plural delicates)
- A delicate item of clothing, especially underwear or lingerie.
- (obsolete) A choice dainty; a delicacy.
- (obsolete) A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
Further reading
- delicate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- delicate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /de.li?ka.te/
Adjective
delicate
- feminine plural of delicato
Anagrams
- dateceli
Latin
Adjective
d?lic?te
- vocative masculine singular of d?lic?tus
References
- delicate in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- delicate in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- delicate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /deli?kate/
Adjective
delicate
- feminine plural nominative of delicat
- feminine plural accusative of delicat
- neuter plural nominative of delicat
- neuter plural accusative of delicat
delicate From the web:
- what delicate mean
- what's delicate wash
- what's delicates on dryer
- delicatessen meaning
- what delicate food meaning
- what delicatessen stands for
- what's delicate flower meaning
- what delicate person means
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