niceties

Noun

nicety (countable and uncountable, plural niceties)

1. A small detail or distinction.
   • We met the new captain while we were taking enemy fire and were unable to observe the niceties of formal introductions.
2. Subtlety or precision of use; exactness; preciseness.
   • A rocket-propelled grenade doesn't have the nicety of a sniper round, but you must admit its effectiveness.
3. A delicacy of character or feeling usually from excessive refinement; fastidiousness.
   • [I]f you knew how Selina feels with respect to sleeping at an inn, you would not wonder at Mrs. Churchill’s making incredible exertions to avoid it. Selina says it is quite horror to her—and I believe I have caught a little of her nicety.1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume II, chapter 18
4. Synonym of social nicety.
   • To be sure, 2012 marks an emphatic end to the bygone courtesy of allowing the other campaign to have its convention moment. But the traditional nicety began unraveling at least two or three election cycles ago.2012 August 27, Alex Mooney, “No more niceness: Obama, Romney try to rain on each other’s parade”, in CNN

   Synonyms:

   social nicety

5. (obsolete) That which is delicate to the taste.

See all 6 meanings of nicety