Kevin
January 15, 2022
Common Questions
This helpful guide will help you discover all the meanings of the word niche, identify if you’re using it correctly and how you can use niche in other ways, and give you synonyms, antonyms, examples and more!
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The English dictionaries are full of words that have multiple meanings. Each meaning gives each word a different purpose, and like so many of those words, the word niche has different meanings and uses. Let’s explore the word niche more thoroughly.
Niche has several definitions. Niche is both a noun as well as a verb. To find the correct definition, it’s important to check in a dictionary of the English language.
As a noun, niche (n.) has a few definitions. Here are the definitions of the word niche.
Definition 1: niche – an activity, job, etc. that is very well-suited to someone.
Example:
Definition 2: niche – a situation in which a business’s product, whether goods or services, is most likely to succeed by being sold to a very particular market of consumers.
Example:
Definition 3: niche – an environment in which a particular plant or animal has all the things they need to live.
Example:
Definition 4: niche – a recess in a wall, especially one for a statue; also, a shelter or private space that resembles a recess in a wall.
As a verb, niche (v.) has another meaning.
Definition 1: niche – to place in or to be as if secured in a niche
Example:
The word niche comes from a 17th century French word. The Middle French word niche was defined as a recess.
Before niche, the history can be traced back to the Old French word nicher. Nicher is a verb that means to make a nest.
The modern French nicher is a derivative of Latin nidus. Nidus means nest in Latin.
In business, niche is most commonly used to refer to finding the right product or service to provide to a particular market segment. Sometimes companies limit themselves to a niche that is so specific to a portion of the market that’s so small that it limits their profitability. At other times, identifying a company’s niche can allow them to strip away excess costs and focus primarily on what will be the most successful which actually drives profit.
In general conversation, niche is primarily used to indicate finding a person’s place in the world. Sometimes, niche is used to describe finding the right type of work, but it can also be used to describe finding the right group of friends or environment to feel comfortable.
In biology, the term niche is used to describe an organism’s role within the ecological community that surrounds its habitat. A species’s niche within its ecosystem includes the physical and environmental conditions the organism requires for survival and its interactions with other species in the community.
In the right niche, an organism would be able to find food with the proper nutrients, a place to sleep, lay eggs, be relatively safe from predators, and not in direct competition with another species for the same exact resources.
There are two factors that influence the position of an organism within its ecosystem:
A range of environmental conditions can contribute to the position of a species, and the fundamental niche is the entire set of conditions needed for reproduction and survival of a species. The role of a plant or the similar position of another species can interfere with a species’s niche.
A species with a limited niche is considered a species specialist. The koala is a good example of a specialist species. A species with a broader niche is considered a species generalist, and a good example of that is the coyote. Every species must have its own specific niche. Otherwise competition would arise, and one species will adapt while the other goes extinct.
In the Islamic faith, you will find a niche in every mosque called a mihrab. The mihrab indicates the qibla. The qibla is the direction of Kaaba in Mecca, and a Muslim must position the muslim prayer rug in the direction of Mecca in order to be facing the right way while praying.
The mihrab has also been called a prayer niche, and it is the most important element of any mosque. In Islamic architecture, all designs would be centered around the correct placement of them mihrab.
Outside of the muslim faith, an architectural niche would be a recess within the thickness of a wall. Often, you will find niches of stone, and inside these niches you will find a bust, statues, or other erect ornament figures.
In American politics, niche parties have started to develop. Awareness of the niche party in a candidate’s area can help put the candidate in a position of opportunity.
Synonyms are a great way to find different ways to express your thoughts and feelings. Here are some of the synonyms for the word niche.
Antonyms are the opposite of a particular word. When you need a word that means the opposite of a word you do know, learning the antonyms can help your express yourself more easily.
The antonyms for niche primarily
