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Synonyms for overnice


Grammar : Adj
Spell : nahys
Phonetic Transcription : naɪs

Top 10 synonyms for overnice Other synonyms for the word overnice

Définition of overnice

Origin :
  • late 13c., "foolish, stupid, senseless," from Old French nice (12c.) "careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish," from Latin nescius "ignorant, unaware," literally "not-knowing," from ne- "not" (see un-) + stem of scire "to know" (see science). "The sense development has been extraordinary, even for an adj." [Weekley] -- from "timid" (pre-1300); to "fussy, fastidious" (late 14c.); to "dainty, delicate" (c.1400); to "precise, careful" (1500s, preserved in such terms as a nice distinction and nice and early); to "agreeable, delightful" (1769); to "kind, thoughtful" (1830).
  • "In many examples from the 16th and 17th centuries it is difficult to say in what particular sense the writer intended it to be taken." [OED]
  • By 1926, it was pronounced "too great a favorite with the ladies, who have charmed out of it all its individuality and converted it into a mere diffuser of vague and mild agreeableness." [Fowler]
  • "I am sure," cried Catherine, "I did not mean to say anything wrong; but it is a nice book, and why should I not call it so?""Very true," said Henry, "and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk; and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! It is a very nice word indeed! It does for everything." [Jane Austen, "Northanger Abbey," 1803]
  • As in pedantic : adj bookish, precise
  • As in precious : adj extremely sophisticated and picky
  • As in prissy : adj particular and fussy
  • As in prudish : adj shy and strict in behavior
  • As in inkhorn : adj pedantic
  • As in pedantical : adj pedantic
  • As in fastidious : adj very careful, meticulous
  • As in finicky : adj overparticular
Example sentences :
  • What was she trying to say with her dark hints and overnice scruples of a Puritan conscience?
  • Extract from : « Heralds of Empire » by Agnes C. Laut

Antonyms for overnice

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019