Standard Lemma guide

decency

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdiːsənsi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IY1 S AH0 N S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being decent; propriety.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: integrity, probity, propriety, rectitude, uprightness, angelicality, angelicalness, angelicity, angelicness, decency, godliness, honesty, honor, righteousness, rightfulness, saintlikeness, saintliness, seemlihood, seemliness, virtuousness

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

That which is proper or becoming.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being polite and respectable

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: respectability, reputability

4

noun

Meaning 4

the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: indecency

Broader terms: propriety, properness, correctitude

Narrower terms: modesty, modestness

History

Etymology

From Latin decentia, from decens. Equivalent to decent + -cy. Compare French décence.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: احْتِرَام — quality of being decent
  • Arabic: كَرَامَة (karāma) — quality of being decent
  • Bulgarian: благоприличие (blagopriličie) — quality of being decent
  • Catalan: decència — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 體統 /体统 (tǐtǒng) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 規矩 /规矩 (guījǔ) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 體面 /体面 (tǐmiàn) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 得體 /得体 (détǐ) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 正派 (zhèngpài) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 端莊 /端庄 (duānzhuāng) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 正直 (zhèngzhí) — quality of being decent
  • Czech: slušnost — quality of being decent
  • Danish: anstændighed — quality of being decent
  • Danish: sømmelighed — quality of being decent
  • Dutch: fatsoen — quality of being decent
  • Finnish: säädyllisyys — quality of being decent
  • Finnish: soveliaisuus — quality of being decent
  • French: décence — quality of being decent
  • Galician: decencia — quality of being decent
  • German: Anstand — quality of being decent
  • Greek: αιδώς (aidós) — quality of being decent
  • Hebrew: הגינות (haginut) — quality of being decent
  • Hungarian: illemtudás — quality of being decent
  • Hungarian: illendőség — quality of being decent
  • Malayalam: മാന്യത (mānyata) — quality of being decent
  • Portuguese: decência — quality of being decent
  • Romanian: cuviință — quality of being decent
  • Romanian: cădere — quality of being decent
  • Romanian: decență — quality of being decent
  • Russian: поря́дочность (porjádočnostʹ) — quality of being decent
  • Russian: прили́чие (prilíčije) — quality of being decent
  • Spanish: decencia — quality of being decent
  • Swedish: anständighet — quality of being decent
  • Ukrainian: поря́дність (porjádnistʹ) — quality of being decent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 體統 /体统 (tǐtǒng) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 規矩 /规矩 (guījǔ) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 體面 /体面 (tǐmiàn) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 得體 /得体 (détǐ) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 正派 (zhèngpài) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 端莊 /端庄 (duānzhuāng) — that which is proper
  • Chinese Mandarin: 正直 (zhèngzhí) — that which is proper
  • Finnish: sopivaisuus — that which is proper
  • Portuguese: decência — that which is proper