Meanings
decent1
comparative more decent · superlative most decent
- Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
- Having a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
Zohran Mamdani is a decent man for not accepting the pay rise he’s entitled to, as he wishes to see that money go to the poor of New York.
- Fair; acceptable; okay.
He's a decent saxophonist, but probably not good enough to make a career of it.
3 more examples
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.
1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCAnd ‘blubbing’ . . . Blubbing went out with ‘decent’ and ‘ripping’. Mind you, not a bad new language to start up. 1920s schoolboy slang could be due for a revival.
[1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section II, page 24I'm all for opening new stations (Transport Scotland is planning another at East Linton, about halfway between Drem and Dunbar), but they are useless without a decent service.
2021 June 30, Philip Haigh, “Regional trains squeezed as ECML congestion heads north”, in RAIL, number 934, page 53Synonyms: satisfactory
- Significant; substantial.
There are a decent number of references out there, if you can find them.
- Conforming to perceived standards of good taste.
I had a cup of tea - the last decent cup of tea for many days; and in a room that most soothingly looked just as you would expect a lady’s drawing-room to look, we had a long quiet chat by the fireside.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 201 - obsoleteComely; shapely; well-formed.
And ſable ſtole of Cipres Lawn, Over thy decent ſhoulders drawn.
a. 1645, John Milton, “Il Penseroso”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 38
decent2
- misspellingMisspelling of descent.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
adjectiveFair; acceptable; okay.
antonym(s) of “sufficiently clothed”
antonym(s) of “good enough”
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivesocially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
adjectiveconforming to conventions of sexual behavior
adjectivesufficiently clothed to see visitors or appear in public
adjectiveobserving conventional sexual mores in speech or behavior or dress
adjectivemeeting requirements
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*deḱ-“to take, accept, to receive, greet, be suitable”
- Latindecēns
- Middle Frenchdécent
- Englishdecent
Borrowed from Middle French décent, or its source, Latin decēns, present participle of decet (“it is fitting or suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take, accept, to receive, greet, be suitable”) (compare Ancient Greek δοκέω (dokéō, “to appear, seem, think”), δέχομαι (dékhomai, “to accept”); Sanskrit दशस्यति (daśasyáti, “shows honor, is gracious”), दाशति (dāśati, “makes offerings, bestows”)). Meaning ‘kind, pleasant’ is from 1902.
More words from Middle French, Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian прие́млив, благоприли́чен
- прие́млив (priémliv)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- благоприли́чен (blagoprilíčen)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- прили́чен (prilíčen)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- присто́ен (pristóen)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- прили́чен (prilíčen)sufficiently clothed
- прили́чен (prilíčen)fair; good enough; okay
- прили́чен (prilíčen)significant; substantial
- значи́телен (značítelen)significant; substantial
Chinese Mandarin 體面 /体面, 正派
- 體面 /体面 (tǐmiàn)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- 正派 (zhèngpài)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- 不錯 /不错 (bùcuò)fair; good enough; okay
- 不賴 /不赖 (bùlài)fair; good enough; okay
Czech slušný, slušný
- slušnýshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- slušnýfair; good enough; okay
- slušnýsignificant; substantial
Danish anstændig, anstændig
- anstændigappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- anstændigshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- pænshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- anstændigsufficiently clothed
- sømmeligsufficiently clothed
- passendesufficiently clothed
- brugbarfair; good enough; okay
- pænsignificant; substantial
- anstændigsignificant; substantial
Dutch integer, fatsoenlijk
- integershowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- fatsoenlijkshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- toonbaarsufficiently clothed
- redelijkfair; good enough; okay
- substantieelsignificant; substantial
- significantsignificant; substantial
Esperanto deca
- decasufficiently clothed
Finnish sopiva, kunnollinen
- sopivaappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- kunnollinenshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- rehellinenshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- säädyllinenshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- pukeutunutsufficiently clothed
- pukeissasufficiently clothed
- vaatteet päälläsufficiently clothed
- kunnollinenfair; good enough; okay
- käypäfair; good enough; okay
- kelpofair; good enough; okay
- ihan hyväfair; good enough; okay
- huomattavasignificant; substantial
French intègre, décent
- intègreshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- décentsufficiently clothed
- décentfair; good enough; okay
- substantielsignificant; substantial
German anständig, sittsam
- anständigshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- sittsamshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- anständig bekleidetsufficiently clothed
- vorzeigbarsufficiently clothed
- bist du angezogen?sufficiently clothed
- hast du was an?sufficiently clothed
- (ganz) anständigfair; good enough; okay
- anständigsignificant; substantial
Greek κόσμιος, ευπρεπής
- κόσμιος (kósmios)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- ευπρεπής (efprepís)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- της προκοπής (tis prokopís)fair; good enough; okay
Hebrew הגון, יָשָׁר
- הגון (hagun)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- יָשָׁר (yashár)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
Hindi शोभनीय, उचित
- शोभनीय (śobhnīya)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- उचित (ucit)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- उपयुक्त (upyukt)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- शालीन (śālīn)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- सभ्य (sabhya)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- उचित (ucit)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- उचित (ucit)fair; good enough; okay
Hungarian illő, illedelmes
- illőappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- illedelmesappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- illendőappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- ildomosappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- tisztességesshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- derékshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- rendesshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- van rajta ruhasufficiently clothed
- tisztességesfair; good enough; okay
- valamirevalófair; good enough; okay
- megfelelőfair; good enough; okay
- elfogadhatófair; good enough; okay
Icelandic viðeigandi
- viðeigandifair; good enough; okay
Indonesian baik
- baikshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
Irish gnaíúil
- gnaíúilshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
Italian perbene, presentabile
- perbeneshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- presentabilefair; good enough; okay
Norwegian Bokmål anstendig, anstendig
- anstendigshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- anstendigsufficiently clothed
- brukbarfair; good enough; okay
- bra nokfair; good enough; okay
- helt greitfair; good enough; okay
- anstendigsignificant; substantial
Polish przyzwoity, właściwy
- przyzwoityappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- właściwyappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- przyzwoityshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- niezłyfair; good enough; okay
Portuguese digno, decente
- dignoappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- decenteshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- decentesufficiently clothed
- razoávelfair; good enough; okay
- decentefair; good enough; okay
- razoávelsignificant; substantial
Russian подходя́щий, прие́млемый
- подходя́щий (podxodjáščij)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- прие́млемый (prijémlemyj)appropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- поря́дочный (porjádočnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- прили́чный (prilíčnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- благопристо́йный (blagopristójnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- присто́йный (pristójnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- благоприли́чный (blagoprilíčnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- оде́тый (odétyj)sufficiently clothed
- прили́чный (prilíčnyj)fair; good enough; okay
- хоро́ший (xoróšij)fair; good enough; okay
- неплохо́й (neploxój)fair; good enough; okay
- прили́чный (prilíčnyj)significant; substantial
Scottish Gaelic cothromach, iomchaidh
- cothromachshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- iomchaidhshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- cothromachfair; good enough; okay
Slovak slušný
- slušnýshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
Spanish decente, decente
- decenteshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- decentefair; good enough; okay
- decentesignificant; substantial
Swedish sedesam, anständig
- sedesamshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- anständigsufficiently clothed
- hyfsadfair; good enough; okay
Turkish uygun, onat
- uygunappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- onatappropriate, suitable for the circumstances
- saygınshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- terbiyelishowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- onatshowing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
- edeplisufficiently clothed
- giyiniksufficiently clothed
- müsaitsufficiently clothed
- makulfair; good enough; okay
- yeterlifair; good enough; okay
- adam gibisignificant; substantial
- yeterlisignificant; substantial
Ukrainian присто́йний
- присто́йний (prystójnyj)showing integrity, fairness, moral uprightness
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with decent
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
decent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decent
“decent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decent.
Source: decent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.