decorous

[ dek-er-uhs, dih-kawr-uhs, -kohr- ]
See synonyms for decorous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character, etc.

Origin of decorous

1
First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin decōrus “seemly, becoming,” derivative of decus (stem decor- ) “an ornament, splendor, honor,” akin to decēre “to be acceptable, be fitting” and docēre “to teach” (i.e., “to make fitting”) + adjective suffix -ōsus; see decent, docent,-ous

Other words for decorous

Opposites for decorous

Other words from decorous

  • dec·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • dec·o·rous·ness, noun
  • non·dec·o·rous, adjective
  • non·dec·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • non·deco·rous·ness, noun
  • un·dec·o·rous, adjective
  • un·dec·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • un·dec·o·rous·ness, noun

Words Nearby decorous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use decorous in a sentence

  • He remembered how decorous and dignified was the Mogul court when Britain paid honor to an ancient dynasty.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • His visions of a merry riot were all fled, and he was listening with the eagerness of a decorous Sunday-school child.

    The Chequers | James Runciman
  • Half of the people had taken their seats when he began; there was a hasty scramble, and a decorous, half-checked smile.

    Hilda | Sarah Jeanette Duncan
  • The past has come down to us cloaked and shrouded, and attended by its decorous retinue of mutes and bearers.

  • Let us turn into the British Museum and see sensible, decorous Boxing-day there.

    Mystic London: | Charles Maurice Davies

British Dictionary definitions for decorous

decorous

/ (ˈdɛkərəs) /


adjective
  1. characterized by propriety in manners, conduct, etc

Origin of decorous

1
C17: from Latin decōrus, from decor elegance

Derived forms of decorous

  • decorously, adverb
  • decorousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012