Adjective

(er)

(obsolete) Silly, ignorant; foolish.

*, II.2:

There is nothing he seemed to be more carefull of than of his honesty, and observe a kinde of decencie of his person, and orderly decorum in his habits, were it on foot or on horsebacke. He was exceeding nice in performing his word or promise.

* 1999 , Joyce Crick, translating (Sigmund Freud), (The Interpretation of Dreams) , Oxford 2008, p.83:

But if I dispense with the dreams of neurotics, my main material, I cannot be too nice in my dealings with the remainder.

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

* 1818 , (Jane Austen), (Persuasion) :

Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice . Birth and good manners are essential.

Showing]] or [[require, requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle.

* 1914 : (Saki), :

"It's her own funeral, you know," said Sir Lulworth; "it's a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show respect to one's own mortal remains."

* 1974 , (Lawrence Durrell), Monsieur , Faber & Faber 1992, p.131:

It would be a nice theological point to try and establish whether Ophis os Moslem or gnostic.

* 2006 , (Clive James), North Face of Soho , Picador 2007, p.242:

Why it should have attained such longevity is a nice question.

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

* 1598 , (William Shakespeare), , IV.1:

To set so rich a maine / On the nice hazard of one doubtfull houre? It were not good.

* 1822 , T. Creevey, Reminiscences , 28 Jul.:

It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.

Respectable; virtuous.

Pleasant, satisfactory.

* 1998 , (Baha Men) -

When the party was nice , the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)

* 2008 , Rachel Cooke, The Guardian , 20 Apr.:

"What's difficult is when you think someone is saying something nice about you, but you're not quite sure."

Of a person: friendly, attractive.

With "and", having intensive effect: extremely.

* , chapter=8

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.}}

Adjective

(er)

Closed, shut.

* 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew chapter 8:

There is nothinge so close , that shall not be openned, and nothinge so hyd that shall not be knowen.

* Dryden

From a close bower this dainty music flowed.

Narrow; confined.

a close''' alley; '''close quarters

* Charles Dickens

a close prison

At a little distance; near.

* , chapter=7

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=[…] St.?Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close -packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close . This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}

Intimate; well-loved.

# (legal) Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.

Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.

* Francis Bacon

If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close , and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.

Hot, humid, with no wind.

(linguistics, phonetics, of a vowel) Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.

Strictly confined; carefully guarded.

a close prisoner

(obsolete) Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.

* Bible, 1 Chron. xii. 1

He yet kept himself close because of Saul.

* Spenser

her close intent

Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.

a close contest

Short.

to cut grass or hair close

(archaic) Dense; solid; compact.

* John Locke

The golden globe being put into a press, the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.

(archaic) Concise; to the point.

close reasoning

* Dryden

Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.

(dated) Difficult to obtain.

Money is close .

(Bartlett)

(dated) Parsimonious; stingy.

* Hawthorne

a crusty old fellow, as close as a vice

Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.

a close translation

(John Locke)

Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.

The patient was kept under close observation.