Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

decency

[dee-suhn-see]

noun, plural -cies.

the state or quality of being decent.

conformity to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, etc.

decencies,

the recognized standards of decent or proper behavior; proprieties: The least you can expect from them is some respect for the decencies.

the requirements or amenities for decent or comfortable living: to be able to afford the decencies.

Origin:
1560–70; < Latin decentia comeliness, decency, equivalent to decent- (stem of decēns) fitting (see decent) + -ia noun suffix

Synonyms
2. decorum, respectability, gentility.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To decency

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Decency is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Jacoby's appeal for common decency in dating situations is as eloquent as it is, alas, unhelpful.

Not about sensitivity and understanding and decency.

Decency and honesty she had in plenty, and on occasion a hint of steel.

EXPAND

Jacoby's appeal for common decency in dating situations is as eloquent as it is, alas, unhelpful.

Not about sensitivity and understanding and decency.

Decency and honesty she had in plenty, and on occasion a hint of steel.

It is not going to have much influence on their personality, but it matters because of basic human decency.

Yet this was a rare event in a society where individual decency ran against the grain of the settlers' culture.

The couple was arrested and charged with, among other things, outraging public decency.

It is about neighborliness, decency and mutual respect.

Have some dignity for your own self and have some decency with regard to the other woman and you'll be fine.

But common decency suggests that the rich world should do whatever it can to help.

Winter this year lingers beyond all notions of decency.

Go ahead and cook with it, but have some damn decency and don't leave it covered in hogfat.

The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency.

Loss of civility and a sense of decorum and decency goes a long way toward explaining road rage writ large on the landscape.

What incredible courage and endurance and decency in the face of evil.

But he is also a reminder that musical excellence can coexist alongside prodigious human decency.

Australian wine is known abroad for decency and consistency rather than excellence.

He didn't have the decency to officially dump me, but he did accept my virtual friend request.

In this, as sometimes in the way he used his newspapers, he seemed to show a rich man's contempt for decency.

Democracy certainly cannot be forced upon a people, but enforcing decency can and should.

Just have the decency to be honest about your position.

But political decency will probably delay his return until next year.

Giuliani's call for a decency panel to review art in publicly financed museums was greeted in large pockets of the city.

Ordinary decency requires that they be treated patiently and with empathy.

What they did was horrific and beyond any acceptable level of decency.

It should have been a joyous occasion, a time to celebrate a program that has brought dignity and decency to the lives.

Public decency is in a difficulty, and it seems than the remedy is worse than the disease.

Socrates acts decently not because he hews to a code of right action, but because decency follows from this susceptibility.

His wisdom and intelligence enriched our conversations while his humor and decency warmed our hearts.

Their public executions and other outrages to public decency were anathema to them.

The article is disappointing, and totally lacks decency and professional ethics.

His unfailing kindness, gentleness and decency were his signature.

Palfrey with stoic charm and decency in this unabashedly sentimental film.

Written laws when people cannot live up to a prescribed level of decency.

Winchester, if it has any decency at all, will withdraw it from production.

It's nice to see a judge finally willing to apply some common sense and decency.

Anyone, no matter the situation should have the decency to break up with someone face to face.

Forget about inequalityhow about some standards of decency.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

decency (ˈdiːs^ənsɪ)

—n , pl -cies
1.	conformity to the prevailing standards of propriety, morality, modesty, etc
2.	the quality of being decent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

decency

1560s, "appropriateness," from L. decentia, from decentem "becoming, fitting" (see decent). Meaning "modesty" (i.e. "appropriateness to standards of society" is from 1630s.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for decency?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Related Words

outrage belt

modesty wind

Matching Quote

"Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offence."

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help

decency

de·cen·cy