Nice (?), a.
[Compar. Nicer (?); superl.
Nicest.]
[OE., foolish, fr. OF. nice ignorant, fool, fr. L. nescius ignorant; ne not + scius knowing, scire to know. perhaps influenced by E. nesh
delicate, soft. See No, and Science.]
1. Foolish; silly; simple; ignorant; also, weak; effeminate.
[Obs.] Gower.
But say that we ben wise and
nothing nice.
Chaucer.
2. Of trifling moment;
unimportant; trivial. [Obs.]
The letter was not nice, but full of charge
Of dear import.
Shak. 3. Overscrupulous or exacting; hard to please or
satisfy; fastidious in small matters.
Curious not knowing, not exact but nice.
Pope. And to taste
Think not I shall be nice.
Milton.
4. Delicate; refined; dainty; pure.
Dear love, continue nice and chaste.
Donne. A nice and subtile happiness.
Milton.
5. Apprehending slight
differences or delicate
distinctions; distinguishing accurately or minutely; carefully discriminating; as, a nice taste or judgment. "Our author happy in a judge so nice." Pope. "Nice verbal criticism."
Coleridge.
6. Done
or made with careful labor; suited to excite admiration on account of
exactness; evidencing great skill; exact; fine; finished; as, nice proportions, nice
workmanship, a nice application; exactly or fastidiously
discriminated; requiring close discrimination; as, a nice point of law,
a nice distinction in philosophy.
The difference is too nice
Where ends the virtue, or begins the vice.
Pope. 7. Pleasing; agreeable;
gratifying; delightful; good; as, a nice party; a nice excursion; a nice person; a nice day; a nice sauce, etc. [Loosely & Colloquially]
To make nice
of, to be scrupulous about. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. -- Dainty; delicate; exquisite; fine; accurate; exact; correct; precise; particular; scrupulous; punctilious; fastidious; squeamish;
finical; effeminate;
silly.
Hear it pronounced