respectability

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /rɪˌspɛktəˈbɪləti/ UK /rɪˌspɛktəˈbɪlɪti/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the state of being regarded as proper, decent, and worthy of esteem

The family clung to its hard-won respectability in the town.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being regarded... propriety decency decorumreputabilityhonorabilitygentility

Opposites

disrepute impropriety indecencydisreputability

Word family

Related forms respect respectable respectful spectacle inspect

Etymology

From respectable + -ity, from respect + -able, from Latin respectus ('regard, consideration'), past participle of respicere ('to look back at, regard'), from re- ('back') + specere ('to look').

respicere Latin specere Latin *spek- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives

# respectability

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** rɪˌspɛktəˈbɪləti
**IPA (UK):** rɪˌspɛktəˈbɪlɪti

## Meanings
1. the state of being regarded as proper, decent, and worthy of esteem

## Examples
- The family clung to its hard-won respectability in the town.

## Synonyms
- propriety
- decency
- decorum
- reputability
- honorability
- gentility

## Antonyms
- disrepute
- impropriety
- indecency
- disreputability

## Related Forms
- respect
- respectable
- respectful
- spectacle
- inspect

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: respicere
- Root: specere
- Root: *spek-

## Etymology
From respectable + -ity, from respect + -able, from Latin respectus ('regard, consideration'), past participle of respicere ('to look back at, regard'), from re- ('back') + specere ('to look').

## AI Etymology
Respectability comes from respectable + -ity, from respect + -able, from Latin respectus ('regard, consideration'), past participle of respicere ('to look back at, regard'), from re- ('back') + specere ('to look'). The historical chain includes Latin respicere, Latin specere, and Proto-Indo-European *spek-. Older glosses in the chain include "regard, consideration", "to look back at, regard", "back", and "to look", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, respectability is best read as compound, suffixal formation, and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the state of being regarded as proper, decent, and worthy of esteem". related forms include respect, respectable, respectful, and spectacle. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Law & Government
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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