Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NICHE

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pronounce NICHE: I prefer "NITCH." But you can take your pick between "NITCH" and "NEESH." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: When you find your niche, you find the little place where you fit in just right. We're not quite sure where the word niche comes from. It might trace back to a word meaning "seashell" or "to nest."  And speaking of nests, see if you can recall the Latin word for "nest:" a n___s can be a literal nest, or the place where a virus or disease starts, or the place where anything (usually a bad thing) is born and grows. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: Literally speaking, a niche is a scooped-out place in a wall. It's where you stick some kind of decoration, like a statue or other piece of artwork: And some niches are used for storage: So as you can see, a niche is a little spot that perfectly holds whatever belongs there. And that's the meaning we use figuratively, too. In other words, a niche is a place, a position, or a role that seems to perfectly fit the people or things that fill it. More specifically, a niche is often a small, specialized spot in the world of business. That is, when you find your niche, or when your company finds its niche, you've found the very specific way in which you'll provide certain goods or services to certain people and make money. With that specific meaning in mind, we also use "niche" as an adjective. Niche things are very narrow and very specific: they're designed for a very small, very specific group of customers. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Both a noun ("They found their niche") and an adjective ("That's a niche market"). Other forms:  The plural is "niches." "Niche" is occasionally a verb, too. You can niche something somewhere: "She niched the statue into the wall;" "The statue is niched in the wall." how to use it: This word is common and formal. And so fun to say! Its tone is positive, implying that special, specific things can fill special, specific places in satisfying and productive ways. Often we talk about people and groups finding their niche, often in or within a larger place, like a school, a community, or a marketplace. We can also talk about people and groups seeking, creating, or filling niches. And we often use "niche" as an adjective these days. We talk about niche markets, goods, services, companies, industries, etc. examples: "Soundtracked by the constant clicky-clack sounds of people fiddling with the [Rubik's] cubes, this 40-minute film is a reminder that what might seem small and niche to you can be the whole world to others."    — Gilbert Cruz, New York Times, 21 August 2020 "It was once primarily a store that sold textbooks to students at the University of Alabama, but today it fills a different niche, selling souvenirs and apparel related to the University of Alabama."    — Gary Cosby, Jr., Associated Press, 6 September 2020 has this page helped you understand "niche"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "niche" without saying "alcove" or "your own little role in the world." try it out: Often, we talk about interests, products, or services that start out as niche, then grow popular. Let's see a couple of examples: From the Seattle Times: "No longer a niche market, audiobooks are attracting some outstanding narrations from big names these days." And from Reuters: "Though still a niche business compared to China's giant meat supply chain, vegetarian alternatives to meat are gaining ground." So, audio books and vegetarian "meats" both started out as niche, then became quite popular. Talk about another thing that was once niche and is now popular. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for October is "Silly Smashings!" In each issue this month, I'll give you the definition of a word I've concocted by smashing together two words we've studied before. See if you can come up with the same silly smashing that I did. For example, I'll say, "This noun means 'an extremely outdated, old-fashioned, ill-considered assumption that there are only two ways of dealing with a certain problem.'" And you'll say, "That's a troglodichotomy." (Which is a silly smashing of troglodyte and dichotomy.) I'll list the answer at the bottom of each issue. Maybe your answer will match mine. Or maybe yours will be even better; if so, be sure to share it with me! Try this one today: This seven-syllable noun means "the act of emphatically disproving a rumor, as if heaving it out of an open window." review this word: 1. One opposite of NICHE is A. BESPOKE. B. PROFITABLE. C. MASS-MARKET. 2. Reuters reported that "renewable diesel is a niche market, making up _____ of the 430-billion gallon per year global diesel market." A. just 0.5% B. a competitive 18% C. the great majority Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A Answer to the game question: Canardefenestration. That's a silly smashing of canard and defenestration. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.