deportment
Americannoun
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demeanor; conduct; behavior.
-
the conduct or obedience of a child in school, as graded by a teacher.
noun
Synonym Usage
See behavior.
Etymology
Origin of deportment
1595–1605; < French déportement, equivalent to déporte ( r ) ( see deport) + -ment -ment
Explanation
Deportment has to do with how you behave and present yourself. Being polite, well-dressed, and soft-spoken shows excellent deportment. People say you shouldn't judge by appearances, but how you present yourself — your deportment — matters. How you dress, speak, look and carry yourself is all part of deportment or demeanor. If you're polite, helpful, and smile a lot, your deportment is friendly and kind. If you're constantly swearing and shouting, your deportment is negative and hostile.
Vocabulary lists containing deportment
Little Women
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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Pride and Prejudice
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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.
Jan Whitefoot has a Fort Simcoe boarding school attendance and deportment ledger from 1897-98.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2022
Nor did he show any sign of taking them more seriously than he has taken past allegations of bias in his company’s workplaces or criticisms of his own deportment.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2022
However, in each of his persuasive speeches to world leaders and conversations with journalists, Zelenskyy conveys the deportment of a rational, determined man.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2022
But who knows, really, how Payne acquired her elegant deportment or her fascination with diamonds.
From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2019
Mr. Sharpe had not ceased in his pontification, though weaving unsteadily now in his deportment.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
