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Glite Dictionary
nice one

nice one

35 7.4
A short way to show approval or praise for something done well
  • idiom
  • UK
: 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

congratulations
vsnice one
898 1.1

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

is more casual praise for someone's success
there you go
vsnice one
  • Informal
396 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
347 1.0

To praise someone for doing a task well

is more casual praise for something done well
yay
vsnice one
  • Informal
196 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
58 1.4

A short shout to show excitement or happiness

is calmer, casual praise rather than loud celebration
ooo
vsnice one
  • Informal
52 9.4

A short sound people say to show surprise or admiration

is intentional praise for achievement rather than spontaneous surprise
hurray
vsnice one
32 2.6

A shout people make when they are happy or excited

is restrained approval rather than an energetic shout
hats off
vsnice one
  • Informal
32 7.2

To show respect or praise for someone's achievement

is a more informal way to show approval for success
hubba
vsnice one
  • Archaic
14 9.9

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

is general approval for an achievement rather than comment on looks
oooo
vsnice one
  • Informal
9 9.9

A short sound people make to show surprise or admiration

is a short casual compliment rather than a surprised exclamation
huzzah
vsnice one
  • Archaic
6 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
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
5 7.9

A short shout people say to show joy or approval

is a modern casual compliment rather than an old-fashioned exclamation
woot
vsnice one
  • Slang
2 9.9

A short shout of joy used online

is direct praise for a job well done rather than general triumph
magnifique
vsnice one
2 9.8

Said when you strongly admire or enjoy something

is everyday approval rather than a strong exclamation
oooh
vsnice one
  • Informal
1 8.7

A quiet sound people make when they are surprised or impressed

is aimed at praising performance rather than showing surprise

Antonyms

criticism
649 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
211 3.2
well done
289 1.8
nice one
  • UK
35 7.4
good
  • Informal
927 7.9
not bad
  • Informal
938 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'.