nice!
nice! — adjective
1. giving someone a feeling of enjoyment or comfort; not unpleasant in any way.
giving someone a feeling of enjoyment or comfort; not unpleasant in any way.
Nellie spent a nice afternoon walking along the beach with her grandfather.
common pattern: nice + noun (afternoon, day, weekend)
The coffee shop on Maple Street has a really nice atmosphere for studying.
It was nice to see Takeshi smile again after such a difficult month.
Caio brought a nice bottle of wine to share at the dinner party.
Have a nice weekend, and say hello to your family from me.
- unpleasant
direct opposite for experiences and situations
- horrible
much stronger negative — implies real discomfort or dislike
文法句型
nice + noun
be + nice
nice to + verb
用法筆記
Frequently used as a general positive evaluation when no stronger adjective is needed. Common in casual speech, greetings, and farewells (have a nice day).
常見錯誤
2. used before another adjective, especially in 'nice and ___', to mean pleasantly
used before another adjective, especially in 'nice and ___', to mean pleasantly so — for example, nice and warm, nice and easy.
Tamar pulled the blanket up to her chin — the bed was nice and warm.
fixed pattern: nice and + adjective
Selim wanted the soup nice and hot before serving it to his guests.
The new bicycle path along the river is nice and flat for beginners.
Take the corner nice and slow, or the trailer will start to swing.
- pleasantly
more formal; works in writing where 'nice and' would sound chatty
- comfortably
works when the second adjective describes physical ease
文法句型
nice and + adjective
用法筆記
Only used in the fixed frame 'nice and + adjective'. The phrase functions like an intensifier — 'nice and warm' means 'pleasantly warm', not 'both nice and warm'. Distinguish from sense 1, where nice modifies a noun directly.
常見錯誤
3. behaving in a friendly and thoughtful way towards other people; treating others
behaving in a friendly and thoughtful way towards other people; treating others with kindness.
Tuan was really nice to the new student on her first day at school.
pattern: be nice to + person
It was so nice of Tara to drive her elderly neighbour to the hospital.
pattern: it is nice of + person + to + verb
Adaeze always sends a thank-you card, which is a really nice thing to do.
Try to be nice to your little brother, even when he is annoying.
Élise's parents are very nice people who welcome everyone into their home.
文法句型
nice to + person
it is nice of someone to + verb
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes things that feel pleasant (a nice day); this sense describes how people treat others (be nice to someone).
常見錯誤
4. (of a difference, point, or judgement) needing careful attention because the dif
(of a difference, point, or judgement) needing careful attention because the differences involved are small and easily missed.
The lawyer drew a nice distinction between owning the land and using it.
common collocation: a nice distinction
Christopher raised a nice point about how the survey question was worded.
There is a nice balance between giving children freedom and keeping them safe.
Iker had to make a nice judgement about when to interrupt the meeting.
- crude
opposite when describing how a distinction or judgement is made
文法句型
a nice + noun (distinction, point, balance)
用法筆記
Formal and somewhat literary. Most common in fixed collocations: a nice distinction, a nice point, a nice balance, a nice judgement. Do not confuse with sense 1 (pleasant) — context and the collocation make this sense clear.
常見錯誤
nice! — adverb
1. in a way that feels pleasant or that other people will approve of; the same idea
in a way that feels pleasant or that other people will approve of; the same idea as 'nicely', but used in casual American speech.
Mert plays the guitar real nice when the family gathers on Sunday evenings.
informal AmE pattern: verb + real nice
Eshe asked the children to behave nice during the long flight to Nairobi.
The new puppy is coming along nice with its training, the owner said proudly.
Vikram dressed up nice for his sister's graduation ceremony last Saturday.
- nicely
the standard adverb; works in all registers, formal and informal
- pleasantly
more formal; describes how something is done rather than how it sounds
- badly
general opposite for actions done poorly or in a way that upsets others
文法句型
verb + nice (informal, AmE)
用法筆記
Informal — in careful writing, prefer the adverb 'nicely'. Most often heard in American English in fixed phrases like 'play nice', 'dress up nice', 'real nice'.