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decency

American  
[dee-suhn-see] / ˈdi sən si /

noun

plural

decencies

  1. the state or quality of being decent.

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

    Synonyms:
    gentility, respectability, decorum

  3. decencies,

    1. the recognized standards of decent or proper behavior; proprieties.

      The least you can expect from them is some respect for the decencies.

    2. the requirements or amenities for decent or comfortable living.

      to be able to afford the decencies.
decency British  
/ ˈdiːsənsɪ /

noun

  1. conformity to the prevailing standards of propriety, morality, modesty, etc

  2. the quality of being decent

"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

Etymology

Origin of decency

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

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.

Josephine Ballon said criminalising such behaviour was the minimum that "we can do, because this also shows that we as a society, we have values, we have rules, we have human decency."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Choosing a hero from a sample that large is “truly an art, not a science,” Schulman said, but Norman, like Gladden, possessed an “incredible decency and humanity that really makes you just root for them.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

American politics has always produced figures eager to test the boundaries of decency.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2026

As Malcolm Bryan, president of the Atlanta Fed in the late 1950s, said: “We should have the decency to say to the money saver, ‘Hold still, Little Fish!

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

The least I could have done was to have had the decency to have turned out a little more like him.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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.