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Glite Dictionary
nice one

nice one

16 7.4
A short way to show approval or praise for something done well
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : bien hecho
  • nice one! You really nailed that presentation!
  • Oh, nice one
  • That's a really nice one
  • That's a very nice one

But what I do is I do, I do say like a nice bug, nice one, and I kiss it.

Examples

Synonyms

there you go
vsnice one
  • Informal
426 4.9

Say this to show you have given something or finished a task

is more explicitly praising the quality of the action
great job
vsnice one
  • Informal
284 1.0

To praise someone for doing a task well

is more casual praise for something done well
yay
vsnice one
  • Informal
185 6.0

A short shout people make to show happiness or excitement

is specifically praising an action or achievement rather than general joy
hooray
vsnice one
  • Informal
43 1.4

A short shout to show excitement or happiness

is calmer, casual praise rather than loud celebration
ooo
vsnice one
  • Informal
36 9.4

A short sound people say to show surprise or admiration

is intentional praise for achievement rather than spontaneous surprise
oooh
vsnice one
  • Informal
31 8.7

A quiet sound people make when they are surprised or impressed

is aimed at praising performance rather than showing surprise
hats off
vsnice one
  • Informal
6 7.2

To show respect or praise for someone's achievement

is a more informal way to show approval for success
hurray
vsnice one
5 2.6

A shout people make when they are happy or excited

is restrained approval rather than an energetic shout
woohoo
vsnice one
  • Informal
5 7.4

A loud shout people make to show excitement or joy

is more of a friendly personal compliment than triumphant cheer
hoorah
vsnice one
  • Informal
3 7.9

A short shout people say to show joy or approval

is a modern casual compliment rather than an old-fashioned exclamation
huzzah
vsnice one
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A loud old-fashioned word people shout to show joy or approval

is a current casual expression of approval rather than historic style
oooo
vsnice one
  • Informal
3 9.9

A short sound people make to show surprise or admiration

is a short casual compliment rather than a surprised exclamation
hubba
vsnice one
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A short shout showing excitement and admiration about someone's appearance

is general approval for an achievement rather than comment on looks
woot
vsnice one
  • Slang
1 9.9

A short shout of joy used online

is direct praise for a job well done rather than general triumph
congratulations
vsnice one
1.1

Words you say to show you are happy about someone's good news

is more casual praise for someone's success
magnifique
vsnice one
9.8

Said when you strongly admire or enjoy something

is everyday approval rather than a strong exclamation

Antonyms

criticism
512 3.0

Disapproval that points out faults

disapproval
45 3.0

A feeling that shows you do not agree with someone or what they do

How Praiseworthy

brilliant
30 3.2
well done
84 1.8
nice one
  • UK
16 7.4
good
  • Informal
407 7.9
not bad
  • Informal
134 3.0

Surface Forms

nice one main

Morphology

nice + one

The laudatory meaning is transparently built from 'nice' (positive, good) qualifying 'one' (a thing or action), so a learner can infer it as 'a nice thing' or 'well done'. This simple evaluative adjective + pronoun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the phrase as praise.

Etymology

Nice one may come from people praising a single action. They would say 'that is a nice one' to point at the good move. So nice one became a short, friendly way to say 'well done' or 'good job'.