Meaning & use
decent
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Good enough in quality or amount, though not outstanding.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a decent meal.
Patterns
- a decent chance of something
We found a decent hotel near the station.
She earns a decent salary.
He has a decent chance of winning.
adjectivecomparableapproving
Honest, fair and respectful toward others.
Grammar: Describes people or behavior: a decent person.
Patterns
- a decent person
- decent of someone
He's a decent man who always helps.
It was decent of you to wait.
Decent people don't lie.
adjectivecomparableold-fashioned
Following accepted standards of behavior or modesty.
Grammar: Often in negatives: not decent.
Patterns
- decent clothes
- be decent
Are you decent? May I come in?
He wore decent clothes to the interview.
They gave him a decent burial.
Word forms
| comparative | more decent |
|---|---|
| superlative | most decent |
Common combinations
- decent salary
- The job pays a decent salary.
- decent chance
- We have a decent chance.
- decent human being
- Be a decent human being.
- decent meal
- We had a decent meal.
- decent standard of living
- Everyone deserves a decent standard of living.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adequate
- Adequate is formal and means just enough.
- respectable
- Respectable suggests socially approved.
- fair
- Fair means reasonable or just.
- honorable
- Honorable stresses high principles.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: decent or descent? decent or dissent?
decent vs descent
Descent means going down; decent means good enough or honest.
decent vs dissent
Dissent means disagreement.
Practice
Which spelling fits: She earns a ___ wage.
Choose one answer.
Decent means reasonably good. Descent is a going down.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.