decorous

[dek-er-uhs, dih-kawr-uhs, -kohr-]

See more synonyms for decorous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character, etc.

Origin of decorous

1655–65; < Latin decōrus seemly, becoming, derivative of decus; see decorate, -ous

Related formsdec·o·rous·ly, adverbdec·o·rous·ness, nounnon·dec·o·rous, adjectivenon·dec·o·rous·ly, adverbnon·dec·o·rous·ness, nounun·dec·o·rous, adjectiveun·dec·o·rous·ly, adverbun·dec·o·rous·ness, noun

Synonyms for decorous

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proper, becoming.

Antonyms for decorous

undignified.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for decorous

staid, civilized, polite, sedate, becoming, befitting, ceremonial, ceremonious, comely, conforming, conventional, correct, decent, demure, dignified, done, elegant, fit, fitting, formal

Examples from the Web for decorous

Contemporary Examples of decorous

Not for Rodriguez the decorous, red-carpet likes of Gwynnie, Sandra Bullock, or Tom Cruise, but “hot criminal” Jeremy Meeks.
Meet the PR Guru for the ‘Hot Convict,’ the Octomom, and Every Other D-List Trainwreck
Erin Cunningham
July 17, 2014
A decorous group of nine panelists presented their positions one at a time, following distinctly un-Israeli rules of etiquette.
Israel’s New Election Discourse
Don Futterman
January 8, 2013

Historical Examples of decorous

Thus our conversation ran--decorous and harmless enough, in all conscience.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
Imagine “swell up” from Sandford, the repressed and decorous!
A Breath of Prairie and other stories
Will Lillibridge
Thorpe accepted in good part the intimation that silence was after all most decorous.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
Nothing could be more perfectly proper and decorous than this dance.
That Boy Of Norcott's
Charles James Lever
There are no drunken men there, nothing but what is pleasant and decorous.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various

British Dictionary definitions for decorous

decorous

adjective

characterized by propriety in manners, conduct, etc

Derived Formsdecorously, adverbdecorousness, noun

Word Origin for decorous

C17: from Latin decōrus, from decor elegance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decorous

adj.

1660s, from Latin decorus "becoming, seemly, fitting, proper," from decus (genitive decoris) "ornament" (see decorate). Related: Decorously; decorousness.