decency
noun
de·cen·cy
ˈdē-sᵊn-sē 
plural decencies
1
2
: standard of propriety
—usually used in plural
3
decencies plural
: conditions or services considered essential for a proper standard of living
4
: literary decorum
5
Examples of decency in a Sentence
Decency, not fear of punishment, caused them to do the right thing.
Sending aid to the victims was simply a matter of common decency.
If you're going to be late, please have the decency to call and let me know.
Have you no sense of decency?
He had been taught to observe the ordinary decencies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Biden has obvious strengths, chief among them experience, wisdom, decency, civility and the empathy that comes with crushing loss.
—
Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2024
To put it in terms each candidate for chief justice understands, her dark fate does not comport with contemporary standards of decency.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2024
Robert Brennan Threadbare social fabric Warwick, R.I.: With the recent convictions of two notable members of our leading political families, our path to decency and leadership has been eroded and disgraced.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 June 2024
The fifth season of Noah Hawley’s adaptation took all that and flung it into the near past, using the rise of Donald Trump as a backbone for another portrait of this country, its moral failings, and its last holdouts of human decency.
—Jen Chaney, Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decency 
Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2024
To put it in terms each candidate for chief justice understands, her dark fate does not comport with contemporary standards of decency.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2024
Robert Brennan Threadbare social fabric Warwick, R.I.: With the recent convictions of two notable members of our leading political families, our path to decency and leadership has been eroded and disgraced.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 June 2024
The fifth season of Noah Hawley’s adaptation took all that and flung it into the near past, using the rise of Donald Trump as a backbone for another portrait of this country, its moral failings, and its last holdouts of human decency.
—Jen Chaney, Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decency
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near decency
Cite this Entry
“Decency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decency. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decency
noun
de·cen·cy
ˈdēs-ᵊn-sē
plural decencies
1
a
: the quality or state of being decent : propriety
b
: agreement with standards of taste, quality, or proper behavior
decency, not fear of punishment, made them behave
2
: a standard of proper behavior
—usually used in plural
had been taught to observe the ordinary decencies
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