Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - nice

(nicer, nicest) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If you say that something is nice, you mean that you find it attractive, pleasant, or enjoyable. I think silk ties can be quite nice... It’s nice to be here together again... We had a nice meal with a bottle of champagne. ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf • nicely He’s just written a book, nicely illustrated and not too technical... ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj 2. If you say that it is nice of someone to say or do something, you are saying that they are being kind and thoughtful. This is often used as a way of thanking someone. It’s awfully nice of you to come all this way to see me... ‘How are your boys?’—‘How nice of you to ask.’... = kind ADJ: it v-link ADJ of n to-inf, v-link ADJ of n 3. If you say that someone is nice, you mean that you like them because they are friendly and pleasant. He was a nice fellow, very quiet and courteous. ? unpleasant ADJ • niceness Mr Pearce was rather bowled over by his niceness, his concern and his ordinariness. N-UNCOUNT 4. If you are nice to people, you are friendly, pleasant, or polite towards them. She met Mr and Mrs Ricciardi, who were very nice to her. ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to n • nicely He treated you very nicely and acted like a decent guy. ADV: ADV after v 5. When the weather is nice, it is warm and pleasant. He nodded to us and said, ‘Nice weather we’re having.’ ADJ 6. You can use nice to emphasize a particular quality that you like. With a nice dark colour, the wine is medium to full bodied... Add the oats to thicken the mixture and stir until it is nice and creamy... ADJ: ADJ adj n, v-link ADJ and adj, ADJ and adv after v c darkgreen]emphasis 7. A nice point or distinction is very clear, precise, and based on good reasoning. (FORMAL) Those are nice academic arguments, but what about the immediate future? ADJ • nicely I think this puts the problem very nicely. ADV: ADV after v 8. You can use nice when you are greeting people. For example, you can say ‘Nice to meet you’, ‘Nice to have met you’, or ‘Nice to see you’. Good morning. Nice to meet you and thanks for being with us this weekend... ‘It’s so nice to see you,’ said Charles. ADJ: it v-link ADJ to-inf c darkgreen]formulae 9. see also nicely