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.
Started 21st due to grid penalties, so 13th represented a very respectable recovery.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Much of respectable academic and policy opinion was firmly behind Team Merkel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Sullivan’s rise is inevitably compared to that of Freddy Adu, an even-more-hyped American wunderkind who broke into the sport in his early teens and struggled before settling into a respectable if itinerant professional career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
That’s very hard to do if someone from the respectable, outside world is watching.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
He was off in EuroScandia, charming the ladies and maintaining his age at a respectable thirty-eight.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
