niceties


Also found in: Thesaurus.
Related to niceties: debacle, barred, upon

ni·ce·ty

 (nī′sĭ-tē)
n. pl. ni·ce·ties
1. The quality of showing or requiring careful, precise treatment: the nicety of a diplomatic exchange.
2. Delicacy of character or feeling; fastidiousness; scrupulousness.
3. A fine point, small detail, or subtle distinction: the niceties of etiquette.
4. An elegant or refined feature; an amenity: the niceties of civilized life.

[Middle English nicete, silliness, exactitude, from Old French, silliness, from nice, silly; see nice.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

niceties

[ˈnaɪsətiz] npl (= fine points) → subtilités fpl
the niceties of sth → les subtilités de qch
social niceties → mondanités
He wasted no time with social niceties → Il ne perdait pas de temps avec les mondanités.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
References in classic literature ?
There were subjects, you perceive, on which Tom was much quicker than on the niceties of classical construction, or the relations of a mathematical demonstration.
They perplex their judgments by a most undue attention to little niceties of personal appearance, habits, disposition, and other trifles which concern nobody but the lady herself.
judge, don't expect excessive praise or half-hearted niceties from her.
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS WEE THINKER ACROSS: 7 Oregano 9 Ankle 10 Norse 11 Leeward 12 SOS 13 Negation 16 Placated 17 Eau 19 Lesotho 21 Queen 22 Stole 23 Start up DOWN: 1 Cornish 2 Reprisal 3 Rare 4 Talented 5 Skua 6 Leads 8 Obligations 13 Niceties 14 Operetta 15 Turnips 18 Bless 20 Shot 21 Quay QUICKIE ACROSS: 1 Scratchcard 8 Owl 9 Oil 11 Pioneer 12 Crane 13 Egg 14 Red 15 Cat flap 17 Amp 19 Ease 21 Iced 23 Scan 25 Veto 27 Yam 29 Boarded 31 Rob 34 Ban 36 Gripe 37 Upstage 38 Oak 39 Key 40 Levelheaded 8DA followed DOWN: 1 Swig 2 Clog 3 Average 4 Carafe 5 Cocoa 6 Roar 7 Dine 8 Opera 10 Ledge 16 Pea 18 Pit 20 Any 22 Cob 24 Chelsea 25 Virgo 26 Crouch 28 Money 30 Obese 32 Oral 33 Bike 34 Bake 35 Aged
Jarrett (Talkback, November 17) continues to question the validity of the EU referendum result by the use of irrelevant percentages and constitutional niceties.
Sarkozy, who announced last month his candidacy for the April 2017 presidential poll, has said France needs to be "merciless" in its response to the attacks and that there is no place for "legal niceties" in the fight against terrorism.
"We don't do niceties. We talk about actions and what we're going to do.
It strives to consider what lies beyond the limits of gravity, time, and social niceties and pairs poems and a story by writer Michelle Blake with a visual exploration of these metaphorical worlds, which range from almost steampunk in their representations to dark matters.
Coming from the punk era the Boomtown Rats frontman still has a healthy disregard for the social niceties and snobbery that holds so many back from making the world a better place.
However, there is still no risk of any niceties between that trio, and when tensions rise, Dodger takes matters into his own hands.
21 ( ANI ): In its latest effort to convince people of the wearable gadget Google Glass's niceties, the search giant has reportedly shared a list of myths that must be busted in order to accept the device.