nice-guy
Meaning
A man who is pleasant, agreeable, and inoffensive in his behavior, often to the point of being perceived as lacking assertiveness or strength of character.
Structure
Usage
He's a genuine nice-guy who always puts others first.
She complained that he was just another passive nice-guy.
The nice-guy image sometimes works against him in negotiations.
Etymology
The compound "nice guy" is a relatively modern formation, emerging in the 20th century. Its logic is transparent, directly combining the adjective "nice," which evolved from a Latin term for "ignorant" through a semantic journey to mean "precise" and then "agreeable," with the noun "guy," a slang term for a man derived from the historical figure Guy Fawkes. The term's modern, often ironically tinged meaning—a man whose pleasantness is seen as a passive or unassertive trait—developed through cultural usage, particularly in discussions of dating and interpersonal dynamics. It represents a case where a literal descriptive phrase acquires a specific, nuanced connotation within a social context.
Analysis
- nice: From Old French 'nice' meaning "foolish, simple," from Latin 'nescius' meaning "ignorant." In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning "pleasant, agreeable." - guy: From the name 'Guy Fawkes,' later generalized to mean "man, fellow." In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning "man."