Stop Saying ‘Nice’ — 9 Sharper Alternatives

Whether you’re describing a polite person, talking about the lovely morning you had in the park, or reacting to a home run hit by your favorite baseball player, it’s appropriate to bust out the word “nice.” But at the same time, “nice” is such a common adjective that it often fails to stand out or paint a full picture. Let’s look at 9 sharper alternatives to “nice” that are even, well, nicer.

When talking about a polite individual, you could call them decorous — meaning “marked by propriety and good taste.” It’s a word that originated in the mid-17th century from the Latin decorus, meaning “fitting, proper.” One of the term’s earliest uses is in the 1671 text The Rules of Civility, in which it was used to decry public primping as impolite.

Someone who’s polite could  also be described as congenial, which means “pleasant” or “sociable.” The origins of this term are spiritual in nature — according to ancient myth, a person was assigned a guardian spirit (referred to in Latin as a genius) at birth. If two people got along well, they were thought to share similar spirits. This belief gave rise to the word “congenial,” which combines the Latin prefix com- (meaning “together”) and genius.

When listening to tunes, you can say, “That’s a nice song,” or “That’s a nice rhythm.” But you can also use the word “dulcet,” as in, “That’s a dulcet melody.” Dulcet” means “pleasing to the ear.” It comes from the Latin dulcis, meaning “sweet,” and when it came into English in the 15th century, it was used to describe literal sweetness, as in the sweetness of candy. Nowadays, “dulcet” is primarily used in the figurative sense.

Sometimes the word “nice” is used when something is just so-so. If a meal is enjoyable but not particularly memorable, you could describe it as palatable. This adjective, meaning “agreeable to the palate or taste,” comes from the word “palate,” which refers to both the roof of the mouth as well as a person’s sense of taste.

In Yiddish, a mensch is “a person of integrity and honor.” It comes from the German mensch, literally meaning “man,” and it has been used in its positive context since the mid-19th century. So if you’re in the presence of a nice person, it’s apt to refer to them as “menschy.”

The word “genteel” can be substituted for “nice” in a few ways. The term’s origins date back to the 1590s, from the French gentil, meaning “graceful, pleasing.” But you can also trace it back to the Old French gentil, meaning “noble.” Today, you can use “genteel” to describe either someone who’s pleasant to be around, or someone who is of a more formal and aristocratic quality.

When someone is kind and gracious, they can be described as “amiable.” This term has roots in the Latin noun amīcus, meaning “friend,” and the verb amare, meaning “to love.” “Amiable” was adopted by English speakers in the 14th century, though it originally meant “pleasing.” It came to mean “friendly” centuries later.

One who’s affable is typically pleasing to be around and easy to talk to. This term came into English in the 15th century from the Latin affārī, meaning “to speak to.”

Someone who’s unobjectionable simply can’t be objected to. Think of the nicest person you know — someone whom everyone loves and who never gets on anyone’s bad side. They’re a perfect example of an unobjectionable individual, as others will have a hard time finding flaws in their demeanor.