respectability
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being respectable.
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respectable social standing, character, or reputation.
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a respectable person or persons.
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respectabilities, things accepted as respectable.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of respectability
First recorded in 1775–85; respectable + -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of Christianity’s deepest convictions is that social standing, respectability and material recognition are not the measures of a life.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
One victim's family says Bush operated behind a veneer of respectability.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
There was something else that academics offered Epstein beyond a veneer of respectability: access.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
It challenged the idea of domestic respectability, treating the house as an open-ended experiment rather than a finished object.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
Black community leaders launched a campaign for respectability.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
