decent

decent — adjective

1. having enough quality, honesty, or moral correctness to meet what people normall

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having enough quality, honesty, or moral correctness to meet what people normally expect of something or someone.

Example

The hotel was decent — the rooms were clean and the staff were friendly.

Sahil is a decent man who always returns borrowed tools and helps his neighbours.

describes moral character of a person

Common collocations
  • decent wage
  • decent meal
  • decent person
  • decent job
  • decent tip
  • decent standard
  • decent of (someone) — e.g. 'That was very decent of you'
Synonyms
  • fair

    More about justice and impartiality than quality; 'fair treatment' focuses on equality, while 'decent treatment' adds a sense of generosity.

  • respectable

    Leans toward social status and reputation; a 'respectable job' impresses others, while a 'decent job' simply meets your needs.

  • satisfactory

    Purely about meeting minimum requirements with no moral dimension; 'satisfactory work' passes inspection but may lack warmth.

  • proper

    Emphasises following rules or conventions; 'proper behaviour' follows etiquette, while 'decent behaviour' also implies genuine kindness.

Antonyms
  • indecent

    Direct opposite in the moral/social sense; 'indecent behaviour' violates accepted standards.

  • poor

    Opposite in the quality sense; 'poor quality' falls below what is acceptable.

  • unacceptable

    Opposite in the adequacy sense; 'unacceptable work' fails to meet the required standard.

Usage Note

Can describe quality (a decent meal), moral character (a decent person), or social appropriateness (a decent thing to do). The exact shade of meaning depends on the noun it modifies.

Common Mistakes

He cooked a decent meal' (when meaning an outstanding/gourmet meal).
He cooked a decent meal' (meaning a reasonably good, satisfactory meal)
decent suggests adequacy, not excellence.
That is a very decent idea' (when meaning brilliant/innovative).
That is a decent idea' (meaning acceptable and workable)
decent is milder than "great" or "brilliant".

2. wearing enough clothing so as not to be seen without proper covering, especially

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

wearing enough clothing so as not to be seen without proper covering, especially when someone might otherwise see you without enough clothing.

Example

Asher asked everyone to wait while he put on a shirt to be decent.

Make sure the children are decent before you open the door to visitors.

common polite question: 'Are you decent?'

Common collocations
  • Are you decent?
  • feel decent
  • get decent
  • be decent
Synonyms
  • dressed

    Neutral term without the implication of sufficiency; 'dressed' simply means wearing clothes.

  • clothed

    More formal than 'dressed'; often used in contrasted contexts ('clothed vs. naked').

  • presentable

    Emphasises readiness to be seen by others, often with an additional hint of tidiness.

Antonyms
  • naked

    Direct opposite — wearing no clothes at all.

  • undressed

    Opposite that implies a state of partial or complete undress.

Usage Note

This sense is always predicative (comes after a linking verb like 'be' or 'feel'). The question 'Are you decent?' is a common polite way to check if someone is dressed enough before entering a room.

Common Mistakes

She looked decent in her new dress' (when meaning attractive/stylish).
She was decent before she opened the door' (meaning she was properly clothed)
in this sense, decent is about coverage and modesty, not fashion or appearance.
Idioms

to do the decent thing

idiom

To act in a way that is morally right or socially expected, especially when it is hard.

After the accident, Maya did the decent thing and called an ambulance.

Did Brian do the decent thing and return the lost wallet?

Word family

  • decently
    adverbB1
  • decency
    nounB2
  • indecent
    adjectiveB2
  • indecently
    adverbC1
  • indecency
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For sense 1 (acceptable quality and moral propriety), 'fair' and 'decent' overlap when talking about treatment or price, but 'fair' focuses on impartiality and justice, while 'decent' adds a sense of generosity or warmth. 'Respectable' leans toward social status and reputation — a respectable job is one society admires, while a decent job is one that meets your needs. 'Satisfactory' is purely about meeting minimum requirements with no moral dimension at all. 'Proper' emphasises following rules or conventions, whereas 'decent' can describe genuine kindness that goes beyond mere rule-following. For example, a proper apology follows the expected format; a decent apology comes from genuine concern.

fair ↗respectable ↗satisfactory ↗proper ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • perfectly decent
  • fairly decent
  • reasonably decent
  • pretty decent

Phrases

  • Are you decent?

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin decēns ('fitting, proper'), the present participle of decēre ('to be fitting, to be seemly'). The word passed through Old French décent before entering Middle English in the 1500s. Its earliest English meaning was about social propriety and appropriate appearance; the sense of 'adequate in quality' developed later, around the 1800s.