nicety

English

Etymology

From Middle English nicetee, from Old French niceté (“simpleness, foolishness”), from nice (“simple, foolish”); equivalent to nice +‎ -ty.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪsɪti/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

nicety (countable and uncountable, plural niceties)

1. A small detail or distinction.

   We met the new captain while we were taking enemy fire and were unable to observe the niceties of formal introductions.

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 3, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:

     the fineness and niceties of words

   • 1872, Richard Grant White, Words and Their Uses, Past and Present, page 326:

     "But," the writer, Dr. Beattie, adds, "this is a needless nicety, and, if adopted, would introduce a confusion into the grammatical art. {...}"

2. Subtlety or precision of use; exactness; preciseness.

   A rocket-propelled grenade doesn't have the nicety of a sniper round, but you must admit its effectiveness.

   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 212:

     Afterwards I took it back when it was borne in upon me startlingly with what extreme nicety he had estimated the time requisite for the ‘affair.’

   • 1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains, page 210:

     [W]e cannot judge with exact nicety whether the hunter or the hunted has the greater dash of toe.

3. Delicacy of character or feeling usually from excessive refinement; fastidiousness
   • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume II, chapter 18:

     [I]f you knew how Selina feels with respect to sleeping at an inn, you would not wonder at Mrs. Churchill’s making incredible exertions to avoid it. Selina says it is quite horror to her—and I believe I have caught a little of her nicety.

4. Synonym of social nicety.
   • 2024 June 16, David Hytner, “Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat”, in Guardian:

     Both anthems were booed beforehand. It was never going to be a night for niceties.

5. (obsolete) That which is delicate to the taste.

Derived terms

• social nicety
• to a nicety

Translations

small detail that is nice or polite but not necessary

• Bulgarian: изтънченост (bg) f (iztǎnčenost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 考究 (zh), 细节 (zh) (xìjié)

• Czech: jemnůstka f, jemnost f, finesa f
• French: délicatesse (fr)
• Irish: beaichte f, cruinneas m
• Russian: дета́ль (ru) f (detálʹ)

subtlety or precision of use

• Czech: finesa f, přesnost (cs) f, detail (cs) m
• French: subtilité (fr)
• Japanese: 微妙 (ja) (びみょう, bimyō)
• Russian: то́чность (ru) f (tóčnostʹ)

Further reading

• “nicety”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “nicety”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “nicety”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.