play nice
Act with courtesy
Play nice means to behave cooperatively and avoid conflict, especially when you'd rather not.
The phrase comes from what adults tell squabbling children, so using it with adults carries a note of condescension or irony: The boss told us to play nice with the new team.
It often implies suppressing legitimate grievances for the sake of harmony.
- cooperateWork jointly with others
- give and takeMutual concession between parties
- harmonizeBring into agreement
- interactAct upon one another
- collaborateWork jointly with others
empathize · compromise · meet halfway · tread lightly · respect · tact · bite your tongue · mind your manners · de-escalation · diplomacy · bury the hatchet · be civil · shake hands · understand · accommodate · courtesy · share · amicable
- conformityconformity, conforming, conform, conformist, conformism
- momismsI told you so, no means no, back in my day, clean your room, do your homework
- relaxrelax, chill, unwind, calm down, cool down
play niceplay dirty
Use underhanded tactics
fight · cheat · play hardball · fight dirty · mistreat
play niceplay dirty
Use underhanded tactics
cheat · fight dirty · play hardball · go for the jugular · cut corners
play nicepick a fight
Intentionally provoke a quarrel
stir the pot · make waves · rock the boat · escalate · push buttons
play, nice, plays, played, playing, player, players, playful, playfully