noun, plural ni·ce·ties.
- a delicate or fine point; punctilio: niceties of protocol.
- a fine distinction; subtlety; detail: the niceties of the filigree work.
- Usually niceties. a refined, elegant, or choice feature, as of manner or living: working hard to acquire the niceties of life.
- exactness or precision.
- the quality of being nice; niceness.
- delicacy of character, as of something requiring care or tact: a matter of considerable nicety.
noun plural -ties
- a subtle point of delicacy or distinctiona nicety of etiquette
- (usually plural) a refinement or delicacythe niceties of first-class travel
- subtlety, delicacy, or precision
- excessive refinement; fastidiousness
- to a nicety with precision
mid-14c., “folly, stupidity,” from Old French niceté “foolishness, childishness, simplicity,” from nice “silly” (see nice). Underwent sense evolution parallel to nice, arriving at “minute, subtle point” 1580s and “exactitude” in 1650s. Phrase to a nicety “exactly” is attested from 1795.