decency
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being decent.
-
conformity to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, etc.
- Synonyms:
- gentility, respectability, decorum
-
decencies,
noun
-
conformity to the prevailing standards of propriety, morality, modesty, etc
-
the quality of being decent
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of decency
1560–70; < Latin decentia comeliness, decency, equivalent to decent- (stem of decēns ) fitting ( see decent) + -ia noun suffix
Explanation
The personal quality of decency is one of honesty, good manners, and respect for other people. Over time, decency has referred to manners, but today decency is mainly a strong sense of right and wrong, and a high standard of honesty. When a criminal or dictator does horrible things, people assume they have no sense of decency. When a tasteless or violent TV show becomes popular, some people wonder if society has lost its sense of decency. Asking "Have you no decency?" is a serious question, unless you're being silly and complaining about something like homework.
Vocabulary lists containing decency
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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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.
See Examples For:
Sledge is attentive to those around him who preserve discipline, decency and humanity when war threatens to strip all three away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Labour MP Carolyn Harris was also overcome by emotion as she told MPs that "every day we see his decency and his courage shine through".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Even worse, the people ravaging the sport don’t even have the decency to pretend to like bowling.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
First, he argues that using evolving standards of decency could now lead to a different conclusion from the one the Supreme Court reached back when Kennedy was decided.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
“You didn’t even have the decency to give me the time to say good-bye to Mullah Faizullah.”
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Nor, in many cases, are they accorded the simple decencies that are part of formal employment.
From New York Times ● Sep. 18, 2020
“As I wrap this up, there will still be a Tagovailoa here playing football,” Tua Tagovailoa said while making sure to tout the other two, amid remarks strewn with such decencies.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2020
By refusing to recognize the virtues of others, or even to observe the ordinary decencies, he succeeds only in diminishing himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2018
We don’t like sanctimony, nor do we like meeting people who think they are too good to observe the proprieties of common decencies.
From Time ● Feb. 2, 2012
Once a human being is dead there are people enough to provide the last decencies; perhaps it is so because only then can there be no question of further or recurring assistance being sought.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
