nicety
/ˈnʌɪsɪti
/noun (plural niceties)
1A fine or subtle detail or distinction: legal niceties are wasted on him...
- But why be squeamish about fine points and legal niceties when we're at war?
- Fry's displaced neighbors may not have known it, but their financial future hung on a legal nicety - the distinction between real estate and personal property or, in legal terms, chattel.
- Legal niceties matter only when the interests of enemies are at stake.
Synonyms
fine point, subtlety, nuance, fine distinction, shade, refinement, detail
1.1 [mass noun] Accuracy or precision: she prided herself on her nicety of pronunciation...
- Last year, Porto brushed aside Monaco; the previous year Milan won on penalties after a match that was long on tactical nicety but short on excitement for the neutral.
- This confluence happens 100 yards behind Bath railway station, and matches the city's nicety of line.
- Nevertheless, the book is rich in historical nicety culled from scholarly sources, and the avid fan of cultural folklore and the role of fraternal societies will experience it as a tough but rewarding nut to crack.
Synonyms
precision, accuracy, exactness, meticulousness, rigour, rigorousness
1.2A detail or aspect of polite social behaviour: we were brought up to observe the niceties...
- She would not mince her words or thoughts and never subscribed to social niceties of polite but fallacious and insincere expressions.
- The outside, or biruni, is by contrast a public space where social niceties must be observed.
- You don't have to follow the rules of social decorum or the niceties of society because you are privileged.
Phrases
to a nicety
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'foolish conduct'): from Old French nicete, based on Latin nescius 'ignorant' (see nice).