Definition
Superlative form of nice; the most pleasant, friendly, kind, or agreeable of all options or people.
Etymology
From Old French 'nice' (foolish, silly), from Latin 'nescius' (ignorant, not knowing). The meaning shifted dramatically in English from 'foolish' to 'precise and refined' and eventually to 'pleasant and agreeable' by the 18th century—one of English's biggest semantic reversals.
Kelly Says
The word 'nice' had the opposite meaning 600 years ago—it meant 'foolish'—which makes it one of the most dramatically flipped words in English; linguists study this wild journey from 'ignorant' to 'kind and pleasant' to understand how culture reshapes meaning over centuries.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
በጣም ጥሩ
be-tam tir-oo
BNবাংলা
সবচেয়ে সুন্দর
so-bo-che-ye shundor
CSČeština
nejpřívětivější
nej-pri-ve-ti-vo-yee
DADansk
mest venlig
mest ven-leeg
DEDeutsch
freundlichster
froynd-lee-khay-st-er
ELΕλληνικά
ομορφότερος
o-mor-fo-te-ros
ESEspañol
más amable
mas ah-mah-bee-leh
FAفارسی
مهربانترین
meh-ra-ba-n-trin
FISuomi
ystävällisin
ystä-vä-l-lis-in
FRFrançais
le plus gentil
luh poo-la-zheh-n-teel
GUGU
સૌથી સુખદ
sau-thi sukhad
HEעברית
אהוב ביותר
ah-vuv di-r-e-chot
HIहिन्दी
सबसे दयालु
sab-se dayalu
HUMagyar
legkedvesebb
leg-ked-ves-ebb
IDBahasa Indonesia
terbaik
ter-baik
ITItaliano
più gentile
pwee zheh-n-tee-leh
JA日本語
最も親切
Mottomo shinsetsu
KKKK
en sүйіну
en soo-ee-noo
KO한국어
가장 친절한
ga-jang chin-jeol-han
MRMR
सर्वोत्तम
sar-vo-ttam
MSBahasa Melayu
terbaik
ter-baik
MYမြန်မာ
ကျေးဇူးပြု
kye-zu-p-ru
NLNederlands
vriendelijkste
vren-deh-lijk-st-e
NONorsk
snillest
shnil-est
PAPA
ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਚੰਗਾ
sabh ton changa
PLPolski
najlepszy
na-jlep-shee
PTPortuguês
mais gentil
mais zheh-n-teel
RORomână
cel mai amabil
cel mah ah-mah-bi-li
RUРусский
самый добрый
sam-ee doob-roy
SVSvenska
snällaste
shnaal-as-te
SWKiswahili
mzuri zaidi
m-zu-ri za-ee-ri
TAதமிழ்
சிறந்த
chi-ran-tha
THไทย
ดีที่สุด
dee tee-sut
TLTL
pinaka-maganda
pi-na-ka-ma-gan-da
UKУкраїнська
найкращий
naykras-hchiy
VITiếng Việt
tốt bụng nhất
tot bung nhất
ZUZU
uyisile
oo-ee-si-lee
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Gendered expectations: 'nice' enforces feminine compliance and pleasantness, while men are evaluated on competence. Women penalized socially and professionally for not being 'nice'; compounds with race/class.
Inclusive Usage
Replace with specific virtues: 'most thoughtful,' 'most reliable,' 'most direct,' 'most generous.' Avoid as catch-all descriptor.
Inclusive Alternatives
["most thoughtful","most reliable","most generous","most competent"]