indecent

C2+ Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /ɪnˈdisənt/ UK /ɪnˈdiːsənt/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
offending against accepted standards of decency or propriety

He was arrested for making indecent gestures at passers-by.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · offending against accepted... improper unseemly immodest obscene lewd crude

Opposites

decent proper modest seemly decorous

Word family

Forms indecency

Derived forms indecentlyindecency

Related forms decent decency decorum

Etymology

From Latin indecens, from in- ('not') + decens ('becoming, fitting'), present participle of decere ('to be fitting, suit').

decere Latin *deḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Ethics & Social Judgment Word Formation & Derivatives

# indecent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ɪnˈdisənt
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˈdiːsənt

## Meanings
1. offending against accepted standards of decency or propriety

## Examples
- He was arrested for making indecent gestures at passers-by.

## Synonyms
- improper
- unseemly
- immodest
- obscene
- lewd
- crude

## Antonyms
- decent
- proper
- modest
- seemly
- decorous

## Derived Forms
- indecently
- indecency

## Related Forms
- decent
- decency
- decorum

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

## Etymology
From Latin indecens, from in- ('not') + decens ('becoming, fitting'), present participle of decere ('to be fitting, suit').

## AI Etymology
Indecent comes from Latin indecens, from in- ('not') + decens ('becoming, fitting'), present participle of decere ('to be fitting, suit'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As an adjective, it carries the sense "offending against accepted standards of decency or propriety", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Latin decere and Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-. Derivative forms include indecently, indecency; related words include decent, decency, decorum.

## Topics
- Ethics & Social Judgment
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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