decent

See also: décent

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French décent, or its source, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin decēns, present participle of decet (“it is fitting or suitable”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take, accept, to receive, greet, be suitable”) (compare Ancient Greek δοκέω (dokéō, “I appear, seem, think”), δέχομαι (dékhomai, “I accept”); Sanskrit दशस्यति (daśasyáti, “shows honor, is gracious”), दाशति (dāśati, “makes offerings, bestows”)). Meaning ‘kind, pleasant’ is from 1902.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdiːsənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

decent (comparative more decent, superlative most decent)

1. (obsolete) Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
2. (of a person) Having a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
3. (informal) Sufficiently clothed or dressed to be seen.

   Are you decent? May I come in?

4. Fair; good enough; okay.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess‎^[1]:

     A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 35:

     And ‘blubbing’... Blubbing went out with ‘decent’ and ‘ripping’. Mind you, not a bad new language to start up. Nineteen-twenties schoolboy slang could be due for a revival.

   He's a decent saxophonist, but probably not good enough to make a career of it.

5. Significant; substantial.

   There are a decent number of references out there, if you can find them.

6. (obsolete) Comely; shapely; well-formed.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     A sable stole of cyprus lawn
     Over thy decent shoulders drawn...

Synonyms

• (conforming suitably to moral standards): good, moral
• (good enough): adequate, satisfactory

Antonyms

• (conforming suitably to moral standards): bad, immoral
• (sufficiently clothed): indecent, underdressed
• (good enough): inadequate, poor, unsatisfactory

Related terms

• decency
• decently

Translations

appropriate, suitable for the circumstances

• Bulgarian: приемлив (bg) (priemliv)
• Danish: anstændig
• Finnish: sopiva (fi)
• Russian: подходя́щий (ru) (podxodjáščij), прие́млемый (ru) (prijémlemyj)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Turkish: uygun (tr), onat (tr)

showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness

• Belarusian: прысто́йны (prystójny)
• Bulgarian: благоприли́чен (bg) (blagoprilíčen)
• Czech: slušný (cs)
• Danish: anstændig, pæn (da)
• Dutch: integer (nl)
• Finnish: kunnollinen (fi), rehellinen (fi), säädyllinen
• French: intègre (fr)
• Georgian: წესიერი (c̣esieri), ზრდილი (zrdili)
• German: anständig (de), sittsam (de)

  Alemannic German: aaschtändig

• Greek: κόσμιος (el) (kósmios), ευπρεπής (el) (efprepís)
• Hebrew: הגון (he) (hagun)
• Hungarian: tisztességes (hu)
• Indonesian: baik (id)
• Irish: gnaíúil
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: perbene (it)}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: anstendig (no)

• Polish: przyzwoity (pl)
• Portuguese: decente (pt)
• Russian: поря́дочный (ru) (porjádočnyj), прили́чный (ru) (prilíčnyj), благопристо́йный (ru) (blagopristójnyj), присто́йный (ru) (pristójnyj), благоприли́чный (blagoprilíčnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cothromach, iomchaidh
• Slovene: spodoben (sl); dostojen
• Spanish: decente (es)
• Sundanese: bener
• Swedish: sedesam (sv)
• Turkish: saygın (tr), terbiyeli (tr), onat (tr)
• Ukrainian: присто́йний (prystójnyj)

sufficiently clothed

• Bulgarian: приличен (bg) (priličen)
• Danish: anstændig, sømmelig, passende
• Dutch: toonbaar (nl)
• Finnish: pukeutunut (fi), pukeissa (fi); vaatteet päällä (lit. "clothes on")
• French: décent (fr) m
• Georgian: შესაფერისი (šesaperisi)
• German: anständig (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: anstendig (no)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: decente (pt)
• Russian: оде́тый (ru) (odétyj)
• Slovene: spodoben (sl); dostojen
• Swedish: anständig (sv)
• Turkish: edepli (tr), giyinik (tr), müsait (tr)

fair; good enough; okay

• Bulgarian: прили́чен (bg) (prilíčen)
• Czech: slušný (cs) m
• Danish: brugbar (da)
• Dutch: redelijk (nl)
• Finnish: kunnollinen (fi), käypä (fi), kelpo (fi), ihan hyvä
• French: décent (fr)
• Georgian: შესაფერისი (šesaperisi), წესიერი (c̣esieri)
• German: (ganz) anständig
• Greek: της προκοπής (tis prokopís)
• Hungarian: tisztességes (hu), valamirevaló
• Icelandic: viðeigandi
• Italian: presentabile (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: brukbar, bra nok (no), helt greit

• Polish: niezły (pl) m
• Portuguese: razoável (pt), decente (pt)
• Russian: прили́чный (ru) (prilíčnyj), хоро́ший (ru) (xoróšij), неплохо́й (ru) (neploxój)
• Scottish Gaelic: cothromach
• Slovene: spodoben (sl)
• Spanish: decente (es)
• Swedish: hyfsad (sv)
• Turkish: makul (tr), yeterli (tr)

significant; substantial

• Bulgarian: прили́чен (bg) (prilíčen), значи́телен (bg) (značítelen)
• Czech: slušný (cs) m
• Danish: pæn (da), anstændig
• Dutch: substantieel (nl), significant (nl)
• Finnish: huomattava (fi), kunnollinen (fi), kelvollinen (fi)
• French: substantiel (fr)
• Georgian: წესიერი (c̣esieri)
• German: anständig (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: anstendig (no)

• Portuguese: razoável (pt)
• Russian: прили́чный (ru) (prilíčnyj), значи́тельный (ru) (značítelʹnyj)
• Slovene: spodoben (sl)
• Spanish: decente (es)
• Turkish: (colloquial) adam gibi (tr), yeterli (tr)

comely; shapely; well-formed

• Finnish: komea (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• cedent