"Nice" — like the words "run" and "set" — is polysemous, meaning it has many definitions. While the 14 definitions of "nice" listed in the Oxford English Dictionary don’t come anywhere close to the 430 senses listed for "set," the lexicographical journey of "nice" tells an interesting story.
Nice and Foolish
The etymological roots of the word indicate that "nice" wasn’t always so, well, nice. "Nice" originates in the Latin word nescius, which means "ignorant." In the 12th century, the Old French word nice meant "needy, weak, foolish, and careless," among a string of other less-than-desirable attributes. By the late 13th century in Middle English, "nice" continued to be used as a negative adjective meaning "frivolous, senseless, and foolish."
Over the next few centuries, there was a great shift in usage — as one lexicographer noted, "The sense development has been extraordinary, even for an [adjective.]" Definitions of "nice" ranged from "foolish, fussy, and fastidious" to "dainty and delicate" in the 1400s, and by the 1500s, the word also acquired a new meaning of "careful and precise." By the 19th century, the definition expanded further to include "agreeable," and by 1830, "thoughtful" — an almost direct opposite to the root nescius.
When "Nice" Means Nothing
Then there’s the modern usage of "nice" meaning "pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory" or "pleasant in manner; good-natured; kind." We all love nice weather, and we mean it when we tell someone to "have a nice day" or that they did a "nice job" on a project. And, of course, we all want nice things, to meet nice people, and to live in nice places. But perhaps because the word "nice" has been applied so broadly, it has gained some pejorative connotations. That "have a nice day" can be said with a bit of sarcasm, and "nice" people can earn a reputation of being cloyingly sweet or even insincere.
These varied, contradictory meanings hint at the problem with "nice." Some writing teachers encourage students to eliminate (or even outright ban) the word from their prose. The aversion to the word "nice" isn’t because of its sweetness or blandness, but the fact that it signifies everything and nothing at the same time.
Consider the clichés of "nice guys finish last" and the classic cinematic rivalry between the nice guy and the bad boy. In these circumstances, "nice" is almost a blank slate — and that’s why anything deemed "nice" loses out.
Featured image credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/ iStock