decency

noun (U)

1 a quality in someone's character that makes them honest and polite and makes them have respect for other people: a judgement that reflects the decency and good sense of the American people

2 acceptable behaviour, especially moral and sexual behaviour: sense of decency: They have no sense of honour or decency. | common decency (=basic standards of behaviour that everyone should follow): It's common decency to let someone know if you are going to arrive late. | have the decency to do sth (=behave in a way that follows the basic standards of acceptable behaviour): You could have had the decency to ask me before you invited all your friends to stay!

3 decencies old-fashioned standards of behaviour that people think are acceptable

decent /'di:snt/ adjective

1 acceptable and good enough: Haven't you got a decent pair of shoes? | a house with a decent sized yard

2 treating people in a fair and kind way: I decided her father was a decent guy, after all. | be decent of sb to do sth: It was decent of him to offer to help us paint the house. | be decent about something especially BrE (=treat someone fairly and sympathetically when they have done something wrong): The lecturers were really decent about my absences.

3 following the standards of moral behaviour accepted by most people: Decent citizens have nothing to fear from this legislation. | do the decent thing (=do something because you feel you ought to): When Tom found out that his girlfriend was pregnant, he did the decent thing and married her.

4 usually humorous wearing enough clothes to not show too much of your body: Don't come in - I'm not decent!

—opposite indecent (1)

5 a decent burial/funeral if someone is given a decent burial, they are buried in an acceptable way

— decently adverb