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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

decent

/ˈdi.sənt/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does decent mean?

adjective

  1. Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
  2. Having a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
  3. (informal) Sufficiently clothed or dressed to be seen.
More meanings (5)

adjective

  1. Fair; acceptable; okay.
  2. Significant; substantial.
  3. Conforming to perceived standards of good taste.
  4. (obsolete) Comely; shapely; well-formed.

noun

  1. Misspelling of descent.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈdi.sənt/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

It would not have been decent to go away, because he had been dining with other guests, and had just taken tea.
George EliotMiddlemarchProject Gutenberg ebook #145
But in the name of decent modesty and a proper sense of the hard realities of this world, Felix banished the thought.
Henry JamesThe EuropeansProject Gutenberg ebook #179
More book examples (3)
For all of our people, we will set as our goal the decent order that makes progress possible and our lives secure.
United States. PresidentsUnited States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches: From Washington to George W. BushProject Gutenberg ebook #925
Yet, before I break out on my new wants, it will be but decent, Sir, to answer some particulars of your letter.
Horace WalpoleThe Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 2Project Gutenberg ebook #4610
That day was calm and sunny, and the engine needed no more stimulus than it would have received in a "decent" climate.
Douglas, Sir MawsonThe Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914Project Gutenberg ebook #6137