Is "nice" a dirty word?

swampwitch · Apr 2, 2007

I find myself using the word "nice" less and less. It seems to have a derogatory feeling to it these days â€“ something or someone who can be taken advantage of is "nice."

Anyone else notice this? Any thoughts?

theimp98 · Apr 2, 2007

it must be a fall out of all the girls calling boys nice,. lol
he is nice guy but.. he is to nice to date....

sooooo lol you can see who's fault it is that nice is well no longer nice

clairebear · Apr 2, 2007

I've never seen it as having a derogatory meaning.

reesespbc · Apr 2, 2007

Originally Posted by theimp98

it must be a fall out of all the girls calling boys nice,. lol
he is nice guy but.. he is to nice to date....

sooooo lol you can see who's fault it is that nice is well no longer nice

I'm with you on that.

I agree though, it seems like if someone says "It's nice..." I think most people would feel like "Nice? What's wrong with it?" Like it should be Great or Awesome!

zissou'smom · Apr 2, 2007

It was a word for a woman of loose morals (politest way I can put it-- synonymous with the w- or s- words) and then became a woman who was too uptight and prudish. Somehow it became this wishy-washy compliment it is now. (think that's interesting? look up the etymology of punk)

I agree with you, it is shifting once again because more often than not it is said by someone who is saying she/he is nice as in, I can't think of anything actually good to say.

carolpetunia · Apr 2, 2007

Oh, see, I have a totally different view! I do think the phrase "Have a nice day" has become distorted -- it's almost heard as sarcasm now.

But when I say someone is "a nice guy," I mean that he's a fundamentally benign human being, someone whose natural inclination is kindness. And that's no small compliment these days!

fred&nermal · Apr 3, 2007

Language is so complicated! I'm neutral about Nice.

mirinae · Apr 3, 2007

I think of "nice" as being an essentially blah word. It isn't really descriptive. It's what you say when you can't think of anything better. "Oh, him? Yeah, he's ... nice." When describing things, I try to find words that are more meaningful, or at the very least, to figure out what it is about something or someone that makes it/them "nice." Nowadays, I guess, "nice" just doesn't really mean anything. I don't think it's a dirty word, per se; just a boring, nondescriptive one.

silentnate · Apr 3, 2007

Originally Posted by Mirinae

I think of "nice" as being an essentially blah word. It isn't really descriptive. It's what you say when you can't think of anything better. "Oh, him? Yeah, he's ... nice." When describing things, I try to find words that are more meaningful, or at the very least, to figure out what it is about something or someone that makes it/them "nice." Nowadays, I guess, "nice" just doesn't really mean anything. I don't think it's a dirty word, per se; just a boring, nondescriptive one.

I only say it in a sarcastic manner, so if I tell Epona it was 'a nice movie' she knows I mean 'boring'

jaffacake · Apr 3, 2007

When I went to convent school, one of the nuns taught us english and she hated the word nice.
We had to learn a poem every week and had to write our opinion of it but we were forbidden from saying,'It is a nice poem.'!!!!
Think she said it wasn`t descriptive or something but still to this day, I feel akward using that word

mooficat · Apr 3, 2007

It was also beaten out of us at school - our English teacher said that there were so many other more interesting descriptive words than 'nice' and it was banned from any of our work

starryeyedtiger · Apr 3, 2007

It's not a bad word- just depends on how it's used. For instance- when Colin ticks me off or burps outloud, i'll give him a go to you know where look and say "gee thanks sweetie, that was soooo NICE of you"

I definitely don't mean that in a good way when i say it

/ But normally i do use it in a good way.

swampwitch · Apr 3, 2007

Interesting responses!

I was thinking it had just a vague "not good" feeling to it, but I just thought of a example of a conversation where "nice" was used to mean the opposite.

me: He ended up sleeping with his grad student and leaving his wife and kid.

friend, with emphasis: Niiice!

Is "nice" a dirty word?

swampwitch

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theimp98

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clairebear

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reesespbc

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zissou'smom

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fred&nermal

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mirinae

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silentnate

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