Nicety — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈnī-sə-tē/ nice·ty

Meaning & Definition of Nicety

Nicety (noun)

  1. the quality or state of being nice
  2. an elegant, delicate, or civilized feature
  3. a fine point or distinction, subtlety

Nicety (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a single piece of information

    "knows all the niceties of diplomatic protocol"

    similar: datum, detail, fact, particular, particularity, point, specific
    related: article, item, component, constituent, element, ingredient, member, part, aspect, circumstance, facet, factor, evidence, exhibit, database, information, knowledge
    near: error, fallacy, falsehood, inaccuracy, misconception, misstatement, myth

  2. something that adds to one's ease of living

    "a woman too fond of the niceties of urban living to even consider becoming a farmer's wife"

    similar: accommodation, amenity, comfort, convenience, creature comfort, luxury, mod con (chiefly British)
    related: bonus, extra, benefit, help, service, anodyne, solace, delight, indulgence, joy, pleasure
    opposite: burden, millstone, weight

  3. the quality or state of being very accurate

    "there's a nicety of detail in his meticulously painted landscapes"

    similar: accuracy, accurateness, closeness, delicacy, exactitude, exactness, fineness, perfection, preciseness, precision, rigor, rigorousness, ultraprecision, veracity
    related: correctness, fidelity, rightness, strictness, truth, definiteness, definitiveness, definitude, determinacy, subtlety, care, carefulness, fastidiousness, meticulousness, persnicketiness
    opposite: coarseness, impreciseness, imprecision, inaccuracy, inexactitude, inexactness, roughness
    near: approximation, roundness, falseness, falsity, incorrectness, wrongness, carelessness, guesswork, looseness, indefiniteness, vagueness

Related Entry: To a nicety (phrase)

To a nicety is a different word from Nicety. The synonyms below are for to a nicety, not for nicety.

  1. without any flaws or errors

    "She picked an array of flowers from the garden and arranged them to a nicety."

    similar: faultlessly, flawlessly, ideally, immaculately, impeccably, pat, perfectly, to a T, to a turn, to the nines
    related: excellently, fabulously, finely, grandly, greatly, marvelously, superbly, superiorly, superlatively, terrifically, exceptionally, fancily, specially
    opposite: amiss, badly, defectively, faultily, imperfectly
    near: deficiently, inadequately, incompletely, insufficiently, fallibly, atrociously, execrably, wretchedly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Nicety

The most common words with a similar meaning to Nicety:

Chiefly British: mod con
datum, detail, fact, particular, particularity, point, specific, accommodation, amenity, comfort, convenience, creature comfort, luxury, accuracy, accurateness, closeness, delicacy, exactitude, exactness, fineness, perfection, preciseness, precision, rigor, rigorousness, ultraprecision, veracity

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Nicety

Words with the opposite meaning of Nicety:

burden, millstone, weight, coarseness, impreciseness, imprecision, inaccuracy, inexactitude, inexactness, roughness

Related Words for Nicety

article, item, component, constituent, element, ingredient, member, part, aspect, circumstance, facet, factor, evidence, exhibit, database, information, knowledge, bonus, extra, benefit, help, service, anodyne, solace, delight, indulgence, joy, pleasure, correctness, fidelity

Near Antonyms of Nicety

error, fallacy, falsehood, misconception, misstatement, myth, approximation, roundness, falseness, falsity, incorrectness, wrongness, carelessness, guesswork, looseness, indefiniteness, vagueness

Word Forms of Nicety

Inflections: niceties

Origin & Etymology of Nicety

Middle English nicete, from Anglo-French niceté foolishness, from nice, adjective

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Nicety

to a nicety

Frequently Asked Questions about Nicety

What does "Nicety" mean?

"Nicety" means the quality or state of being nice. As a noun, it is defined as: the quality or state of being nice. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Nicety"?

Other words for "Nicety" include datum, detail, fact, particular, particularity, point, specific and accommodation. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Nicety" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Nicety"?

There are 71 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Nicety". Common alternatives include datum, detail, fact, particular, particularity, point, specific, accommodation, amenity and comfort.

What is the opposite of "Nicety"?

Antonyms of "Nicety" include burden, millstone, weight, coarseness, impreciseness, imprecision, inaccuracy and inexactitude. Near antonyms include error, fallacy, falsehood and misconception.

How do you use "Nicety" in a sentence?

Examples of "Nicety" in a sentence: "knows all the niceties of diplomatic protocol"; "a woman too fond of the niceties of urban living to even consider becoming a farmer's wife"; "there's a nicety of detail in his meticulously painted landscapes".

Is "Nicety" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Nicety" is a noun.

How do you pronounce "Nicety"?

"Nicety" is pronounced /ˈnī-sə-tē/ and divided into syllables as nice·ty.

What is the origin of the word "Nicety"?

"Nicety" comes from Middle English nicete, from Anglo-French niceté foolishness, from nice, adjective. First known use: 14th century.