decently

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdisəntli/ UK /ˈdiːsəntli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
in a respectable, proper, or reasonably good manner

They treated their staff decently and paid fair wages.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a respectable, proper,... properly respectably suitably modestly adequately reasonably fittingly

Opposites

indecently improperly shamefully

Word family

Related forms decent decency decorous

Etymology

From decent plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Decent is from Latin decens (stem decent-), present participle of decēre ('to be fitting'), from PIE *dek- ('to take, be suitable').

decēre Latin *dek- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# decently

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ˈdisəntli
**IPA (UK):** ˈdiːsəntli

## Meanings
1. in a respectable, proper, or reasonably good manner

## Examples
- They treated their staff decently and paid fair wages.

## Synonyms
- properly
- respectably
- suitably
- modestly
- adequately
- reasonably
- fittingly

## Antonyms
- indecently
- improperly
- shamefully

## Related Forms
- decent
- decency
- decorous

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: decēre
- Root: *dek-

## Etymology
From decent plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Decent is from Latin decens (stem decent-), present participle of decēre ('to be fitting'), from PIE *dek- ('to take, be suitable').

## AI Etymology
Decently comes from decent plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Decent is from Latin decens (stem decent-), present participle of decēre ('to be fitting'), from PIE *dek- ('to take, be suitable'). The historical trail runs through Latin decēre and Proto-Indo-European *dek-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means in a respectable, proper, or reasonably good manner. Related forms include decent, decency, decorous.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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