Have you noticed that often people say, "Oh, she's nice," or "that looks nice." I think nice is a safe word, a word without commitment. When do you use the word nice? According to the Webster New World Dictionary nice has many meanings.
nice(adj)1. difficult to please, fastidious, refined 2. delicate, precise, discriminative, subtle 3. calling for great care, accuracy, tact, as in handling or delicate distinctions 4. able to make fine or delicate distinctions, minutely accurate, as an instrument 5. having high standards of conduct, scroupulous 6. agreeable, pleasant, delightful, attractive, pretty, courteous and considerate, conforming to approved social standards, respectable, in good taste, good, excellent
I would guess that most of us use definition number six. Perhaps we should be more committed and use: agreeable, pleasant, delightful, attractive, pretty, courteous or considerate. Which sounds better?
1. The photo is nice. It brings back nice memories. I remember walking
along the nice beach with my nice daughter.
2. The photograph is attractive. It brings back many pleasant memories.
I remember walking along the pretty beach with my darling daughter.
So the next time you go to describe a person, place, or thing, try and be more direct with your description. It makes what you say more meaningful. Be thinking for tomorrow, when have you done a NICE (insert a stronger word here) thing for someone else?
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