NICER
What does "NICER" mean?
More pleasant, agreeable, or kind than something or someone else; the comparative of 'nice'.
Meanings
- Comparative of 'nice'; more pleasant, kind, or satisfactory. The weather is nicer today than it was all week.
Did you know?
- Calling something 'nicer' would once have been an insult: 'nice' comes from Latin 'nescius', meaning 'ignorant', and meant 'foolish' before it ever meant 'pleasant'.
Word origin
Comparative of 'nice', from Latin 'nescius', 'ignorant' (literally 'not-knowing'); the meaning drifted through 'foolish', 'fussy', and 'precise' before settling on 'pleasant'.
Remember it
NICER = NICE + R; and 'nice' once hid 'nescius', not-knowing - the R is the only thing it knows for sure.
A little poem
Once 'nice' meant fool; now it means kind and clear-
a word that climbed from ignorant to dear.
couplet
Wordplay
- I called him nicer than his brother. Six hundred years ago, that meant he was the bigger fool.
What it teaches
Even words rehabilitate: 'nice' rose from meaning ignorant to meaning kind - meaning is never fixed.
Quick facts
What does NICER mean?
More pleasant, agreeable, or kind than something or someone else; the comparative of 'nice'.
Is NICER a valid word?
Yes — NICER is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is NICER?
NICER has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does NICER come from?
Comparative of 'nice', from Latin 'nescius', 'ignorant' (literally 'not-knowing'); the meaning drifted through 'foolish', 'fussy', and 'precise' before settling on 'pleasant'.
What can NICER teach us?
Even words rehabilitate: 'nice' rose from meaning ignorant to meaning kind - meaning is never fixed.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.