The meaning of nice, and why we should use this four-letter word more

The word "nice" acquired its current meaning of being decent or satisfactory during the 18th century. (Photo: Henri-Mathieu Saint Laurent via Pexels)

At a time when everything is awesome and epic, the word “nice” has fallen out of favour. It's been replaced by outstanding, excellent, wonderful and other such tiresome superlatives.

For years, many have warned against the use of the word. “Nice” is simply too vanilla, they say. You should be more specific, they caution. It's just a filler, they emphasize.

The etymology of the word would seem to bear them out. It comes from the Old French word “nice” which was derived from the Latin word “nescius”, which meant “foolish" or “ignorant”.

Over time, the word went through remarkable shifts in meaning. It could refer to being fussy, pleasant, and even fastidious (as in, “a nice distinction”). During the 18th century, the word acquired its current meaning of being decent or satisfactory. That’s the sense in which it’s largely been used ever since.

Writers, especially, have been advised against using the adjective because it can be generic and vague. After all, “a nice chair” is certainly less descriptive than “a leather-backed wooden chair”.

Jane Austen famously mocked the word in Northanger Abbey, during a scene in which when the naive Catherine Morland is told: “… and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh, it is a very nice word, indeed! It does for everything.”

Yet, Austen used it at other times when the tonality was appropriate. For example, in Pride and Prejudice, we read: “Mrs. Philips protested that they would have a nice comfortable noisy game of lottery tickets, and a little bit of hot supper afterwards.”

She’s not the only one. “Almost all spiders are rather nice-looking,” writes E.B. White in Charlotte’s Web. A short story by Scott Fitzgerald describes a residence as “really the nicest smaller house in town”. And Oscar Wilde, no less, has Lord Henry Wotton compliment Dorian Grey on his “nice curly hair”.

Clearly, even writers known for their prose style use the word when necessary, whether sincerely or ironically. What it boils down to is that “nice” should be used when apt, as is the case with all other words. There’s no need to shun it altogether. That wouldn’t be nice.

So much for writers. Many others feel that “nice” can sound insincere and fake when used colloquially. Best to avoid it, they assert. What this point of view misses is that the word is often a necessary lubricant for social interactions.

“Nice to meet you,” “nice weather,” “a nice meal,” and other such expressions are perfectly acceptable ways to be pleasant without spending time on specifying exactly what you find nice. After all, if you pass by an acquaintance on a morning walk, the last thing he expects to hear is: “the weather is crisp, with a hint of the approaching freshness of spring.” Such language is best left to those who write about wine.

With the ubiquitous “have a nice day,” there’s definitely a case to be made for that phrase’s overuse. Even so, those who replace it with “have an excellent day” and the like are best kept at a distance.

Speaking of overuse, there certainly are limits to how much we should rely on “nice”. When it’s slapped on to every interaction or description, it loses its impact – again, something you can say about almost every other word. It’s a matter of judgement: there are times that call for being more specific.

Come to think of it, one reason that the word is not in favour could well be society’s insistence on the hustle. You can see this clearly in the expression, “nice guys finish last” and its ally, the stern and commanding “no more Mr Nice Guy”. From shock rocker Alice Cooper to family therapist Dr Robert Glover, many have touted the virtues of getting ahead by getting in touch with your alpha side.

Of course, niceness shouldn’t be a way to please all the people all the time. There’s merit in examining such an attitude when standing up for yourself, challenging the status quo, or dealing with bullies and other oppressors. Having said that, a lack of emphasis on being nice is what led thinkers like Hobbes to conclude that “the condition of man is a condition of war against everyone”.

The word “nice”, then, privileges cooperation over competition. It acknowledges that we’re all in it together for the long run. It doesn’t stand out: it blends in without being overly meek and self-sacrificing. Let’s not shy away from using the word - and let’s live up to its meaning.