decorous

adjective

ˈde-kər-əs How to pronounce decorous (audio)
Definition of decorousnext
1
as in polite
following the established traditions of refined society and good taste we were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details the oppressively decorous standards of a royal court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decorous But such disagreements tended to be handled with the decorous language of diplomacy. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026 Its decorous leaves are not even an inch long. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026 Pentagon leaders have almost always publicly couched the military’s use of violence in decorous euphemisms designed to show the solemnity of lethality. — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2026 Paul has to buck the prevailing suffragist movement led by Carrie Chapman Catt, whose methods are more decorous and patient. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for decorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decorous
  1. polite
  2. formal
  3. proper
  4. ceremonious
  5. respectable
  6. nice
  7. satisfactory
  8. correct
Adjective
  • Those records show that throughout the ER trips, Henry Ford employees and ambulance workers generally found Tingley cooperative and polite.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The community nurse hadn’t even bothered to rewrite it, and the polite doctor simply stamped under her amendments.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of polite
Adjective
  • The president may reveal Clayton's appointment as soon as Friday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity before a formal announcement.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The very fact that this has now been given a formal college inside the PLA’s Army Engineering University is telling, however.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of formal
Adjective
  • Months later, a report found the state hadn't complied with its own lethal injection process since its revision in 2018, resulting in executions being conducted without proper testing of the drugs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Guadagnino speaks in calligraphy; adjectives almost certainly accompany a proper name — the extraordinary, the wonderful, the genius.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of proper
Adjective
  • It is celebrated with a ceremonious parade that features a cavalcade of men dressed in Roman soldier costumes, evoking a sense of solemn thanksgiving and spiritual devotion.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The ones named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion by the judges make a ceremonious visit at the end of the day to the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in downtown Denver.
    — Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of ceremonious
Adjective
  • Nothing terribly exciting is happening inside this three-bedroom, but there’s lots of light and a respectable amount of space, and the beach is just a few minutes away.
    — Nora Deligter, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2026
  • So there’s not that much to happen in the last two-thirds of the drama than for your ribs to be constantly nudged with the idea of how easily the most respectable citizens among us will give in to modest proposals and, indeed, murder.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • The woman and her children lived in the nice part of the house and the foster girls — three to five at a time — ate dinner separately in the basement.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In an era where millions of recipes are made for content consumption as much as actual consumption, traveling back in time for someone’s beloved 1970 banana bread recipe sounds pretty nice.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The effort displayed by Kansas’ 14 men’s basketball players at Bill Self’s 24th annual Boot Camp proved satisfactory to the Hall of Fame Jayhawks coach.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of satisfactory
Adjective
  • Indeed, people who treat AGI seriously have been much more correct about the speed of AI advances than people who dismiss the concept.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The first four-lens telescopes appeared around 1643, but if Madrid’s analysis is correct, this would mean the innovation occurred much earlier, in 1630 at the latest, and could be attributed to Galileo.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of correct

Browse Nearby Words

decorative
decorous
decorously
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Cite this Entry

“Decorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decorous. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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