indecent
Americanadjective
-
offending against generally accepted standards of propriety or good taste; improper; vulgar.
indecent jokes; indecent language; indecent behavior.
- Synonyms:
- licentious, lewd, filthy, obscene, gross, rude, outrageous, coarse, indelicate, indecorous, immodest, distasteful
-
not decent; unbecoming or unseemly.
indecent haste.
- Synonyms:
- inappropriate
- Antonyms:
- becoming, appropriate
adjective
-
offensive to standards of decency, esp in sexual matters
-
unseemly or improper (esp in the phrase indecent haste )
Synonym Usage
See improper.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indecent
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin indecent- (stem of indecēns ) “unseemly.” See in- 3, decent
Explanation
Things that are indecent are obscene, indelicate, or offensive in some way. If you run around the mall naked, you’ll get in trouble for indecent exposure! Indecent describes things that are not decent — the prefix -in often means “not,” like how independent means “not dependent.” Decent things are morally sound, so indecent things are offensive. Swearing is considered indecent. Indecent often means rude. A joke might go over well with your friends but is considered indecent when told to a teacher. Not everyone will agree on what’s indecent, but we all agree that you should keep your clothes on at the mall.
Vocabulary lists containing indecent
"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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The Odyssey
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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.
The actor, who denied the charges heading into prosecution, was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
In court on Tuesday, the jury was also asked formally to find Brand not guilty of a charge of indecent assault.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Elizabeth Harker, 63, from Luton, admitted sending voicemails to Rayner which were "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character", as well as messages to a woman in Luton.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
Burkina Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore at the time said the proposal was "indecent".
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
The boys stirred uneasily, as though something indecent had been said.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
