• (British) IPA: /ˈdiːsənt/

decent

1. Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
2. (of a person) Having a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
3. (informal) Sufficiently clothed or dressed to be seen.

   Are you decent? May I come in?

4. Fair; acceptable; okay.

   He's a decent saxophonist, but probably not good enough to make a career of it.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:

     A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.

   • [1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, →OCLC ↗, section II, page 24 ↗:

     And ‘blubbing’ . . . Blubbing went out with ‘decent’ and ‘ripping’. Mind you, not a bad new language to start up. 1920s schoolboy slang could be due for a revival.]

5. Significant; substantial.

   There are a decent number of references out there, if you can find them.

6. Conforming to perceived standards of good taste.
   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC ↗, part I, page 201 ↗:

     I had a cup of tea - the last decent cup of tea for many days; and in a room that most soothingly looked just as you would expect a lady’s drawing-room to look, we had a long quiet chat by the fireside.

7. (obsolete) Comely; shapely; well-formed.
   • a. 1645, John Milton, “Il Penseroso”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC ↗, page 38 ↗:

     And ſable ſtole of Cipres Lawn,
     Over thy decent ſhoulders drawn.

• good, moral
• See Thesaurus:satisfactory

• (antonym(s) of “conforming suitably to moral standards”): bad, immoral
• (antonym(s) of “sufficiently clothed”): indecent, underdressed
• (antonym(s) of “good enough”): inadequate, poor, unsatisfactory

• Russian: подходя́щий

• French: intègre
• German: anständig, sittsam
• Italian: perbene
• Portuguese: decente
• Russian: поря́дочный
• Spanish: decente

• French: décent
• German: anständig
• Portuguese: decente
• Russian: оде́тый

• French: décent
• German: (ganz) anständig
• Italian: presentabile
• Portuguese: razoável, decente
• Russian: прили́чный
• Spanish: decente

• French: substantiel
• German: anständig
• Portuguese: razoável
• Russian: прили́чный
• Spanish: decente