respectable
Americanadjective
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worthy of respect or esteem; estimable; worthy.
a respectable citizen.
- Synonyms:
- honorable
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of good social standing, reputation, etc..
a respectable neighborhood.
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suitable or good enough to be seen or used.
respectable clothes; respectable language.
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of moderate excellence; fairly good; fair.
a respectable performance.
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appreciable in size, number, or amount.
a respectable turnout.
adjective
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having or deserving the respect of other people; estimable; worthy
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having good social standing or reputation
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having socially or conventionally acceptable morals, standards, etc
a respectable woman
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relatively or fairly good; considerable
a respectable salary
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fit to be seen by other people; presentable
Other Word Forms
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nonrespectablenessnoun
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respectabilitynoun
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respectablenessnoun
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superrespectablenessnoun
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ultrarespectablenessnoun
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nonrespectableadjective
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prerespectableadjective
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quasi-respectableadjective
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semirespectableadjective
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superrespectableadjective
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ultrarespectableadjective
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unrespectableadjective
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nonrespectablyadverb
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quasi-respectablyadverb
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respectablyadverb
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superrespectablyadverb
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ultrarespectablyadverb
Etymology
Origin of respectable
Explanation
Something or someone respectable is honest, good, and proper. Respectable behavior includes things like contributing to charity, volunteering at an animal shelter, and helping your friends study vocabulary. Anything or anyone respectable deserves respect for being honorable or moral. If you return a wallet that you find on the street, that’s respectable behavior. People would probably view you as a respectable person. However, if you removed all the money from the wallet before returning it, that’s not respectable. Respectable can also be used to describe to an adequate or large amount of something. If you return the wallet untouched, you might get a respectable sum as a reward.
Vocabulary lists containing respectable
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Walk Two Moons
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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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.
Qualified a respectable 13th but slipped behind team-mate Gasly and both Aston Martins during an underwhelming race.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
By the end of 2023, “Theo” had sold 3,000 copies, a respectable number for any book, let alone a quiet novel about a man who has conversations with assorted townsfolk about kindness and mercy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
It also praised the "plucky" display by the US, "who people thought had come to Rome as whipping boys but in fact have gone off the pitch with a very respectable score".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Nvidia has bought back $85 billion in shares in the past two years, and this past month it increased its quarterly dividend from one penny to an almost respectable 25 cents.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
That horrid thing has the wolves and the rats and his own kind to help him, so I suppose he isn’t above trying to use a respectable lunatic.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
