Good vs Nice vs Kind
Good, nice, and kind are some commonly used words in English language that have similar meanings. In fact, these are words that we make use of when talking about a person or a thing in general. Depending upon the experience we have with people, we label them as good or nice or even kind without pausing for a moment to think if these are interchangeable words or not. This article attempts to find out the differences between these adjectives to enable students of English language to make correct usage of these words.
Nice
We are used to making and hearing comments like so nice of you, so kind of you, and so good of you, that we tend to take these words as synonyms. Isn’t being kind to someone is the same as being nice to him? But during childhood and the time that we spend learning behaviors that are expected of us, we are taught that being nice to others is a good thing. Be nice to your little brother is what our parents tell us when leaving us in the home. In a sense, being nice to others is what we learn during the process of growing up. We learn to behave in a nice manner to others as we are made to understand that his is a good behavior that is expected of us. As a nice person, you are seen as a person who likes others. Niceness can be seen from outside, and you are quick to comment about a person being nice as you can see his behavior.
Kind
Kindness is an instinct that is either with us or we do not have it. It is a behavior that cannot be learnt and some people are born kind while there are also people who get joy and satisfaction in creating troubles for others. If you see a disabled man or woman behind yourself in a queue, you offer first chance to him as you are filled with compassion and have a desire to do something for the person. Of course, there would be people who might think of your behavior a result of a desire to be seen as a kind individual, but if you are loving and caring, you are kind at heart and do not need to please others to prove that you are kind. As a kind person, you are seen as an individual who loves other people. Kindness is a virtue that is inside a person and is not visible all the time.
Good
We judge others on the basis of our experiences with them. If we have a pleasing feeling after meeting a person, we are tempted to describe him as a nice or a good person. But good is also an adjective that is used to describe a person, object, and food item or anything under the sky that is not evil as good is the opposite of bad. Good is also used to refer to the taste of a person and while evaluating the performance of an individual or a machine.
What is the difference between Good, Nice, and Kind?
• Niceness is a virtue that we are made to learn early in our lives.
• Being nice is behaving in a courteous manner and being pleasant to others.
• Kindness is a virtue that cannot be learnt, and we are either born kind or not
• We describe a person as good or nice depending upon our feelings and experience with him.
• Good is an adjective that is used to describe anything that is not evil as good is the opposite of bad.
• A nice person is not necessarily kind.
• Being nice is easier than being kind.
• A good person is nice inherently, but a nice person may not necessarily be good.
• Nice people speak what others want to hear while good guys speak only truth.
• Nice persons have friends all around, whereas good people have few friends as they draw attention to drawbacks too.
• Good and nice are interchangeable if one is talking about a person in a picture as in good looking or looking nice.
• If someone is good, he is so from both outside as well as inside, whereas a nice person is good only from outside.