Ask Difference

Great vs. Nice — What's the Difference?

By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 25, 2024
Great emphasizes exceptional quality, while nice suggests pleasantness or agreeableness.
Great vs. Nice — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Great and Nice

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Key Differences

Great is used to describe something of high quality, exceptional merit, or notable magnitude, often exceeding standard expectations. Whereas nice refers to something that is pleasant, agreeable, or satisfactory, but not necessarily exceptional or outstanding.
In terms of intensity and impact, great carries a stronger connotation, implying a higher degree of excellence or superiority. Nice, on the other hand, is more subdued, indicating mild satisfaction or pleasantness without the implication of being remarkable.
Great is often used in contexts where there is a need to express admiration, significant achievement, or high quality, such as in "a great accomplishment" or "a great work of art." Nice is used in situations that require a less intense form of approval, like "a nice gesture" or "a nice day."
The distinction between great and nice can also reflect in their usage in feedback or compliments. Saying something is "great" suggests a higher level of approval and is often more meaningful than describing it as "nice," which is more casual and less emphatic.
The term great is versatile, applying to both tangible and intangible aspects, including emotions, achievements, and qualities. Nice, while also versatile, tends to be used more with tangible, immediate experiences or to describe demeanor and interactions.
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Comparison Chart

Connotation

High quality, exceptional merit, notable magnitude
Pleasantness, agreeableness, satisfactory

Intensity

Strong, indicating a higher degree of excellence
Mild, suggesting general pleasantness without exception

Usage Context

Admirable achievements, superior quality, significant impact
Pleasant experiences, agreeable interactions, mild approval

Feedback Implication

Indicates a high level of approval or admiration
Indicates casual approval, often without strong emphasis

Versatility

Applies to quality, achievements, emotions
More often used for experiences, interactions

Compare with Definitions

Great

Achievement.
Winning the championship was a great achievement for the team.

Nice

Pleasantness.
We had a nice time at the beach, enjoying the sun and sand.

Great

Intensity.
She felt a great sense of joy when she saw her friend succeed.

Nice

Satisfaction.
The meal was nice; I particularly enjoyed the dessert.

Great

Approval.
His work received great praise from the critics.

Nice

Casual approval.
That’s a nice idea for the project; it could really work well.

Great

Magnitude.
The project was a great success, exceeding all expectations.

Nice

Agreeableness.
She is a very nice person, always ready to help others.

Great

Quality.
The novel is of great quality, with a compelling plot and deep characters.

Nice

Interactions.
We had a nice conversation over coffee, catching up on old times.

Great

Very large in size, extent, or intensity
A great pile of rubble.
A great storm.

Nice

Nice ( NEESS, French: [nis]; Nissard Occitan: Niça, classical norm, or Nissa, nonstandard, pronounced [ˈnisa]; Italian: Nizza [ˈnittsa]; Ancient Greek: Νίκαια; Latin: Nicaea) is the seventh most populous urban area in France and the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department. The metropolitan area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly 1 million on an area of 744 km2 (287 sq mi).

Great

Of a larger size than other, similar forms
The great anteater.

Nice

Giving pleasure or satisfaction; pleasant or attractive
We had a very nice time

Great

Large in quantity or number
A great throng awaited us.

Nice

(especially of a difference) slight or subtle
There is a nice distinction between self-sacrifice and martyrdom

Great

Extensive in time or distance
A great delay.
A great way off.

Nice

Fastidious; scrupulous.

Great

Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent
A great crisis.
Great anticipation.

Nice

A resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy; population 348,721 (2007).

Great

Of outstanding significance or importance
A great work of art.

Nice

Pleasing and agreeable in nature
Had a nice time.
A nice person.

Great

Chief or principal
The great house on the estate.

Nice

Having a pleasant or attractive appearance
A nice dress.
A nice face.

Great

Superior in quality or character; noble
A great man who dedicated himself to helping others.

Nice

Exhibiting courtesy and politeness
A nice gesture.

Great

Powerful; influential
One of the great nations of the West.

Nice

Of good character and reputation; respectable.

Great

Eminent; distinguished
A great leader.

Nice

Overdelicate or fastidious; fussy.

Great

Very good; first-rate
We had a great time at the dance.

Nice

Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle
A nice distinction.
A nice sense of style.

Great

Very skillful
She is great at algebra.

Nice

Done with delicacy and skill
A nice bit of craft.

Great

Enthusiastic
A great lover of music.

Nice

Used as an intensive with and
Nice and warm.

Great

Being one generation removed from the relative specified. Often used in combination
A great-granddaughter.

Nice

Wanton; profligate
"For when mine hours / Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives / Of me for jests" (Shakespeare).

Great

(Archaic) Pregnant.

Nice

Affectedly modest; coy
"Ere ... / The nice Morn on th' Indian steep, / From her cabin'd loop-hole peep" (John Milton).

Great

Pl. greats or great One that is great
A composer considered among the greats.

Nice

Pleasant, satisfactory.

Great

A division of most pipe organs, usually containing the most powerful ranks of pipes.

Nice

Of a person: friendly, attractive.

Great

A similar division of other organs.

Nice

Respectable; virtuous.
What is a nice person like you doing in a place like this?

Great

Very well
Got along great with the teacher.

Nice

Shows that the given adjective is desirable, or acts as a mild intensifier; pleasantly, quite.
The soup is nice and hot.

Great

Used as an intensive with certain adjectives
A great big kiss.

Nice

Showing refinement or delicacy, proper, seemly
A nice way of putting it

Great

(augmentative) Large, senior high-ranking, intense, extreme, or exceptional

Nice

(obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish.

Great

Relatively large in scale, size, extent, number (i.e. having many parts or members) or duration (i.e. relatively long); very big.
A great storm is approaching our shores.
A great assembly
A great wait

Nice

Particular in one's conduct; scrupulous, painstaking; choosy.

Great

Title referring to an important leader.
Alexander the Great

Nice

(dated) Having particular tastes; fussy, fastidious.

Great

Of larger size or more importance than others of its kind.
The great auk

Nice

(obsolete) Particular as regards rules or qualities; strict.

Great

(informal) Very good; excellent; wonderful; fantastic.
Dinner was great.

Nice

Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle.

Great

Intensifying a word or expression, used in mild oaths.
A dirty great smack in the face
Great Scott!

Nice

(obsolete) Easily injured; delicate; dainty.

Great

(qualifying nouns of family relationship) Involving more generations than the qualified word implies — as many extra generations as repetitions of the word great (from 1510s). [see Derived terms]
Great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-great-great-grandfather

Nice

(obsolete) Doubtful, as to the outcome; risky.

Great

Pregnant; large with young; full of.
Great with child
Great with hope

Nice

(colloquial) Nicely.
Children, play nice.
He dresses real nice.

Great

Intimate; familiar.

Nice

Used to signify a job well done.
Nice! I couldn't have done better.

Great

Extreme or more than usual.
Great worry

Nice

Used to signify approval.
Is that your new car? Nice!

Great

Of significant importance or consequence; important.
A great decision

Nice

Niceness.

Great

(applied to actions, thoughts and feelings) Arising from or possessing idealism; admirable; superior; commanding; heroic; illustrious; eminent.
A great deed
A great nature
A great history

Nice

To run a process with a specified (usually lower) priority.

Great

Impressive or striking.
A great show of wealth

Nice

Foolish; silly; simple; ignorant; also, weak; effeminate.
But say that we ben wise and nothing nice.

Great

Much in use; favoured.
Poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era.

Nice

Of trifling moment; unimportant; trivial.
The letter was not nice, but full of chargeOf dear import.

Great

(applied to persons) Endowed with extraordinary powers; of exceptional talents or achievements; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; remarkable; strong; powerful; mighty; noble.
A great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, writer etc.

Nice

Overscrupulous or exacting; hard to please or satisfy; fastidious in small matters.
Curious not knowing, not exact but nice.
And to tasteThink not I shall be nice.

Great

Doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale; active or enthusiastic.
What a great buffoon!
He's not a great one for reading.
A great walker

Nice

Delicate; refined; dainty; pure.
Dear love, continue nice and chaste.
A nice and subtile happiness.

Great

(often followed by 'at') Skilful or adroit.
A great carpenter
You are great at singing.

Nice

Apprehending slight differences or delicate distinctions; distinguishing accurately or minutely; carefully discriminating; as, a nice taste or judgment.

Great

Expression of gladness and content about something.
Great! Thanks for the wonderful work.

Nice

Done or made with careful labor; suited to excite admiration on account of exactness; evidencing great skill; exact; fine; finished; as, nice proportions, nice workmanship, a nice application; exactly or fastidiously discriminated; requiring close discrimination; as, a nice point of law, a nice distinction in philosophy.
The difference is too niceWhere ends the virtue, or begins the vice.

Great

Sarcastic inversion thereof.
Oh, great! I just dumped all 500 sheets of the manuscript all over and now I have to put them back in order.

Nice

Pleasing; agreeable; gratifying; delightful; good; as, a nice party; a nice excursion; a nice day; a nice sauce, etc.

Great

A person of major significance, accomplishment or acclaim.
Newton and Einstein are two of the greats of the history of science.

Nice

Pleasant; kind; as, a nice person.

Great

(music) The main division in a pipe organ, usually the loudest division.

Nice

Well-mannered; well-behaved; as, nice children.
He's making a list, checking it twice.Gonna find out who's naughty or nice Santa Claus is coming to town.

Great

(in combinations such as "two-greats", "three-greats" etc.) An instance of the word "great" signifying an additional generation in phrases expressing family relationships.
My three-greats grandmother.

Nice

A city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean; the leading resort on the French Riviera

Great

(informal) Very well in a very satisfactory manner.
Those mechanical colored pencils work great because they don't have to be sharpened.

Nice

Pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance;
What a nice fellow you are and we all thought you so nasty
Nice manners
A nice dress
A nice face
A nice day
Had a nice time at the party
The corn and tomatoes are nice today

Great

Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous; expanded; - opposed to small and little; as, a great house, ship, farm, plain, distance, length.

Nice

Socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous;
From a decent family
A nice girl

Great

Large in number; numerous; as, a great company, multitude, series, etc.

Nice

Done with delicacy and skill;
A nice bit of craft
A job requiring nice measurements with a micrometer
A nice shot

Great

Long continued; lengthened in duration; prolonged in time; as, a great while; a great interval.

Nice

Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted;
Too nice about his food to take to camp cooking
So squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow

Great

Superior; admirable; commanding; - applied to thoughts, actions, and feelings.

Nice

Noting distinctions with nicety;
A discriminating interior designer
A nice sense of color
A nice point in the argument

Great

Endowed with extraordinary powers; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; strong; powerful; mighty; noble; as, a great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, etc.

Nice

Exhibiting courtesy and politeness;
A nice gesture

Great

Holding a chief position; elevated: lofty: eminent; distinguished; foremost; principal; as, great men; the great seal; the great marshal, etc.
He doth object I am too great of birth.

Great

Entitled to earnest consideration; weighty; important; as, a great argument, truth, or principle.

Great

Pregnant; big (with young).
The ewes great with young.

Great

More than ordinary in degree; very considerable in degree; as, to use great caution; to be in great pain.
We have allGreat cause to give great thanks.

Great

Older, younger, or more remote, by single generation; - often used before grand to indicate one degree more remote in the direct line of descent; as, great-grandfather (a grandfather's or a grandmother's father), great-grandson, etc.

Great

The whole; the gross; as, a contract to build a ship by the great.

Great

Relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind;
A great juicy steak
A great multitude
The great auk
A great old oak
A great ocean liner
A great delay

Great

More than usual;
Great expectations
Great worry

Great

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation;
Our distinguished professor
An eminent scholar
A great statesman

Great

Of major significance or importance;
A great work of art
Einstein was one of the outstanding figures of the 20th century

Great

Remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect;
A great crisis
Had a great stake in the outcome

Great

Very good;
He did a bully job
A neat sports car
Had a great time at the party
You look simply smashing

Great

Uppercase;
Capital A
Great A
Many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script

Great

Marked by active interest and enthusiasm;
An avid sports fan
A great walker
An eager beaver

Great

In an advanced stage of pregnancy;
Was big with child
Was great with child

Common Curiosities

Can an experience be both great and nice?

Yes, an experience can be both great and nice, combining elements of high quality or exceptional enjoyment with pleasantness and satisfaction.

Can a person be described as both great and nice?

Yes, a person can be described as both great and nice, with "great" referring to their achievements or qualities and "nice" to their pleasant demeanor or behavior.

Are there situations where nice is preferable to great?

In situations emphasizing mild satisfaction or pleasantness without the need for high impact or exceptional quality, "nice" is preferable.

Is it better to be called great or nice?

It depends on the context; being called "great" may be preferred for achievements or talents, while "nice" is valued in social interactions or demeanor.

What defines something as great rather than nice?

Something is defined as great when it stands out for its high quality, exceptional merit, or notable impact, surpassing standard expectations, unlike nice, which denotes pleasantness or satisfaction.

Is it possible for something to transition from nice to great?

Yes, something can transition from nice to great as it exceeds expectations or improves in quality over time.

How do great and nice differ in professional settings?

In professional settings, "great" often relates to achievements or contributions, while "nice" may refer to interpersonal interactions or the work environment.

How do I use great and nice correctly in feedback?

Use "great" to express high approval or admiration for achievements or quality, and "nice" for milder, pleasant approval of actions or ideas.

Why is great more impactful than nice?

Great implies a higher level of excellence and is often used to express admiration or significant achievement, making it more impactful than the more casually positive "nice."

How does culture influence the use of great vs. nice?

Cultural context can influence perceptions of greatness and niceness, including what is considered exceptional or merely pleasant.

Can inanimate objects be described as nice or great?

Yes, inanimate objects can be described as either, depending on their quality, design, or the satisfaction they provide.

Can feedback be both great and nice?

Feedback can be both, with "great" emphasizing the quality or value of the work and "nice" the manner or approach.

How should one choose between using great or nice in communication?

Choose based on the message’s intent: "great" for emphasizing excellence or high approval, and "nice" for conveying pleasantness or general satisfaction.

Does the frequency of use affect the impact of great and nice?

Overuse can dilute the impact of both terms, especially "great," which relies on a perception of exceptionalism.

Do great and nice have different implications in terms of expectations?

Yes, "great" often sets higher expectations due to its association with exceptional quality, whereas "nice" suggests moderate, pleasant expectations.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat

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