adverb
nicely
In a pleasant, satisfactory, or skillful way.
The warm bread goes nicely with a bowl of soup.
Etymology
Nicely comes from nice with -ly. As nice developed senses of precision, skill, and pleasantness, the adverb came to describe actions done well or agreeably.
More examples
- He asks nicely before borrowing my tools.
- Your ankle is healing nicely.
- She handles the difficult questions nicely.
Forms
nicely · more nicely · most nicely
nice adjective — Pleasant, agreeable, or enjoyable to experience.
Similar words
- pleasantly
- Emphasizes an agreeable manner rather than skill or success.
- well
- Emphasizes successful performance rather than a pleasant manner.
- skillfully
- Specifically emphasizes ability and technique rather than general satisfaction.