common decency
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of common decency
First recorded in 1630–40
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.
The committee noted that while the government's student loan policies were exempt from consumer protection laws, it expected the government "to comply with not only the law, but basic fairness and common decency".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Most Americans understand this instinctively and reject government actions that violate their sense of what law and common decency permit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
The bonds of nationality, community and common decency were understood to supersede partisanship.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2024
As a chief executive with 114 million followers, he’s someone who shouldn’t be mocking common decency and facts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
I could see her hesitate, her caution and repugnance struggling against instincts of common decency.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
