Meanings
alternative nice-nelliness · alternative nice-Nellyness
- uncountableThe state or quality of being a nice Nelly; prudishness or excessive modesty.
Sterling himself, though he had the most picturesque and inimitable vocabulary of vituperation, was highly squeamish about ordinary smut or profanity. He had indeed that nice-Nelliness which is often characteristic of the Don Juan type.
1947, Miriam Allen deFord, “Laureate of Bohemia: George Sterlin”, in They Were San Franciscans, Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., page 306Synonyms: nice-Nellyism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or quality of being a nice Nelly; prudishness or excessive modesty.
Origin
Cite this entry
nice-Nelliness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice-Nelliness
“nice-Nelliness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice-Nelliness. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nice-Nelliness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice-Nelliness.
Source: nice-Nelliness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.