Meaning & use
niche
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Meanings
nouncountablebusiness
A small, specialized part of a market that serves a particular group of customers.
Grammar: Often followed by in or for: a niche in the market.
Patterns
- a niche in something
- find a niche
The company found a niche selling hiking gear for tall people.
She built a profitable niche making wedding invitations.
Small shops survive by filling a niche that large chains ignore.
nouncountable
A role or position that suits someone well, in which they feel comfortable.
Grammar: Usually used with find or carve: find your niche.
Patterns
- find a niche
- carve out a niche
It took him years to find his niche in the team.
She carved out a niche as the office problem-solver.
Every student eventually finds a niche at college.
nouncountable
A shallow recess in a wall, made to hold a statue or other object.
Grammar: Used for a physical space: in a niche.
Patterns
- a niche in a wall
A small statue of the saint stood in a niche above the door.
The bookshelf fits neatly into a niche beside the fireplace.
Candles sat in a niche cut into the stone wall.
adjectivebefore a noun
Appealing to or aimed at a small, specific group of people.
Grammar: Goes before a noun: a niche market.
Patterns
- niche market
The magazine is a niche publication for model-train fans.
Niche perfumes are popular with collectors.
They run a niche travel agency for birdwatchers.
nouncountablebiologyspecialist
The role an organism plays in its habitat, including what it eats and where it lives.
Grammar: Used in ecology: an ecological niche.
Patterns
- ecological niche
Each species occupies a different niche in the forest.
The two birds avoid competing because they fill different niches.
Climate change may leave some niches empty.
Word forms
| plural | niches |
|---|
Common combinations
- niche market
- They are targeting a niche market of left-handed musicians.
- find a niche
- He finally found his niche as a lab technician.
- carve out a niche
- The brand carved out a niche in organic baby food.
- ecological niche
- The otter fills a unique ecological niche.
- niche product
- A niche product may sell few units but at a high price.
Synonyms and how they differ
- specialty
- Specialty is what someone or something is especially good at, while niche emphasizes a small, separate market or place.
- recess
- Recess is the architectural word for a hollow in a wall, and unlike niche it does not suggest display.
- slot
- Slot is more casual and suggests a gap waiting to be filled, with less sense of fit.
- alcove
- An alcove is a larger recess in a room, big enough for a bed or a seat, while a niche is smaller.
Opposites
Word family
- nichey adjective
- informal word for appealing only to a small group
- nichification noun
- the process of targeting a niche, rare
- nicher noun
- a business that works in a niche, rare
Commonly confused: niche or nick? niche or niece?
niche vs nick
A nick is a small cut or notch, and in British slang it means a police station or to steal; it is not a recess or market.
niche vs niece
A niece is a brother's or sister's daughter, and looks a little like niche.
Practice
A bakery that sells only gluten-free cakes for pets has found a ____ in the market.
Choose one answer.
Niche is the word for a small specialized segment of a market. Nook and notch refer to physical corners or cuts, and nick means a small cut.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “niche”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.