decent

[dee-suhnt]

adjective

1. conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, etc., as in behavior or speech.

   Synonyms: decorous, proper, seemly
   Antonyms: unseemly

2. respectable; worthy.

   a decent family.

3. adequate; fair; passable.

   a decent wage.

4. kind; obliging; generous.

   It was very decent of him to lend me his watch.

5. suitable; appropriate.

   She did not have a decent coat for the cold winter.

   Synonyms: becoming, fit, apt
   Antonyms: inappropriate

6. of fairly attractive appearance.

   a decent face.

7. Informal.,  wearing enough clothing to appear in public.

8. Slang.,  great; wonderful.

decent

/ ˈdiːsənt /

adjective

1. polite or respectable

   a decent family

2. proper and suitable; fitting

   a decent burial

3. conforming to conventions of sexual behaviour; not indecent

4. free of oaths, blasphemy, etc

   decent language

5. good or adequate

   a decent wage

6. informal,  kind; generous

   he was pretty decent to me

7. informal,  sufficiently clothed to be seen by other people

   are you decent?

Other Word Forms

• decently adverb
• decentness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decent¹

First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin decent-, stem of decēns “fitting,” present participle of decēre “to be acceptable, be fitting”; akin to decus “honor” ( decorous )

Word History and Origins

Origin of decent¹

C16: from Latin decēns suitable, from decēre to be fitting

Example Sentences

Business has been decent and a group of local therapists even asked her to help them understand why their federal worker clients are showing up in such despair these days.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Along the way, there’s “agentic AI” and other propositions that could still produce decent productivity gains and make lots of money if widely adopted.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

So, even though analysts are predicting that the rest of the market should finally start showing decent earnings growth, megacap tech companies will still lead the way for the foreseeable future.

Read more on Barron's

Now, as civil rights are being beaten back to … backwardness by small-minded politicians, there’s a timely element to this perfectly decent, good-hearted, unsurprisingly sentimental miniseries.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Starting next year, you won’t have to comb through Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for a decent used refrigerator because your California apartment doesn’t come with one.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• correct 
• good 
• honest 
• honorable 
• modest 
• noble 
• polite 
• proper 
• prudent 
• trustworthy 

When To Use

What’s the difference between decent and descent?

Decent is an adjective that means adequate or suitable, as in a decent meal, or good or respectable, as in a decent person. Descent is a noun that means the act of moving downward (descending), a downward movement, or downward movement in general.Despite their similar spelling, the two words are pronounced differently. In decent, the emphasis is on the first part of the word, which is pronounced like dee. In descent, the emphasis is on the -scent part of the word, with the first part pronounced like dih.So how can you remember which one gets the s? Dropping the s is the decent thing to do, but you should pick it back up for your descent.Here’s an example of descent and dissent used correctly in a sentence.Example: The climbers decided to make the descent while the weather was still decent.