- 1[uncountable] honest, polite behavior that follows accepted moral standards and shows respect for others Her behavior showed a total lack of common decency. Have you no sense of decency? He might have had the decency to apologize. standards of taste and decency that we expect broadcasting companies to meet
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2the decencies [plural] (formal) standards of behavior in society that people think are acceptable the basic decencies of civilized society
Check pronunciation: decency