decent

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled dacent

US /ˈdiːsənt/ UK /ˈdiːs(ə)nt/ See IPA manual

Freq #2278

Meanings

1

adj
Good enough; fairly good or acceptable.

He's a decent saxophonist, though not quite good enough to turn professional.
2

adj
Fairly large in amount or size.

There are a decent number of references out there if you can find them.
3

adj
Honest, kind, and behaving in a way that is morally right.

She's a decent person who always helps her neighbors.
4

adj
Wearing enough clothes to be seen by others.

Are you decent? May I come in?

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · good enough; fairly good or... satisfactory

Opposites

bad immoral inadequate indecent poor underdressed unsatisfactory

Word family

Derived forms decentishdecentnesshalf-decentsemidecentundecent

Related forms decency decently

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

decent burial
a respectful and appropriate ceremony for putting a dead person to rest

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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.

*deḱ- Proto-Indo-European decēns Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# decent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈdiːsənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdiːs(ə)nt/
**Frequency rank:** 2278

## Meanings
1. Good enough; fairly good or acceptable.
2. Fairly large in amount or size.
3. Honest, kind, and behaving in a way that is morally right.
4. Wearing enough clothes to be seen by others.

## Examples
- He's a decent saxophonist, though not quite good enough to turn professional.
- There are a decent number of references out there if you can find them.
- She's a decent person who always helps her neighbors.
- Are you decent? May I come in?

## Antonyms
- bad
- immoral
- inadequate
- indecent
- poor
- underdressed
- unsatisfactory

## Derived Forms
- decentish
- decentness
- half-decent
- semidecent
- undecent

## Related Forms
- decency
- decently

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *deḱ-
- Root: decēns

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
decent was 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. Current senses include Good enough; fairly good or acceptable and Fairly large in amount or size. English relatives and later formations include decentish, decentness, half-decent, decency, decently.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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