Phrase guide

nice guy

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An inoffensive adult male who desires romantic companionship but who is too bland and uninspiring to be attractive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic, idiomatic

Examples

  • 1999, The 'Nice Guy' Syndrome, Self-Help Informational Resources, The Counseling Center for Human Development, The University of South Florida https://web.archive.org/web/19991013184527/http://usfweb.usf.edu/counsel/self-hlp/niceguy.htm The nice guy, they say, finishes last. But in romantic relationships, the nice guy often isn't even in the running. [...] The nice guy may have expressed an interest in dating you.... The nice guy is the person who you trust and feel comfortable with, but don't see as "fun" or "challenging" or really all that "interesting," other than as a friend, of course.
  • 2005 September 18, "Dirty D.", Lost Romanticism and the Manwhore, DiaryLand, at uberfrau.diaryland.com Nice guys are historically the grail of dating. [...] As both Nora and I reminisced and compared how we were treated by the manwhore and by the nice guy, the manwhore always won out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A man who pretends to be kind and polite with the goal of attracting women, often becoming hostile and misogynistic when their advances are rebuffed; someone affected by nice guy syndrome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, derogatory, sarcastic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see nice, guy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: nice guy — man who is unappealing to women
  • Japanese: いい人 (ii hito) — man who is unappealing to women