indecorous

adjective

in·​de·​co·​rous (ˌ)in-ˈde-k(ə-)rəs 

ˌin-di-ˈkȯr-əs

: not decorous : conflicting with accepted standards of good conduct or good taste

… the most indecorous scenes of public relations officers shoving and pushing to get their group on television …

—Raymond Bonner

indecorously adverb

indecorousness noun

Synonyms of indecorous

• inappropriate
• improper
• unsuitable
• incorrect
• wrong
• unhappy

Choose the Right Synonym for indecorous

indecorous, improper, unseemly, unbecoming, indelicate mean not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste.

indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners.

indecorous behavior

improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method.

improper use of campaign contributions

unseemly adds a suggestion of special inappropriateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste.

remarried with unseemly haste

unbecoming suggests behavior or language that does not suit one's character or status.

conduct unbecoming to an officer

indelicate implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling.

indelicate expressions for bodily functions

Examples of indecorous in a Sentence

an indecorous joke for a solemn moment in the marriage ceremony

Recent Examples on the Web

Australian screenwriter McNamara’s comic sensibilities are more in line with English than American humor — which brings the plus of scathing wit, if also the minus of a certain decorum even in outbursts of indecorous fury. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025

The massive tag is gone now but something just as indecorous seems likely to replace it. —Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024

With round-the-clock musicians, magicians, comedians, blue men and white Bengal tigers, the Strip became the premier global destination not just for indecorous gambling, but also for family-friendly entertainment. —Chris Carra, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024

Now five seasons old, The Constructivists also have taken a step up in ambition by casting local veteran James Pickering as David, the latest in a run of wild, unhinged and indecorous old men the septuagenarian has brought to life on stage. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2023

Even a white-collar defendant’s photograph of himself holding a baseball bat next to a prosecutor’s photo might be easily dismissed as indecorous, but free, speech. —Elliot Williams, CNN, 10 Apr. 2023

There was a palpable undercurrent of dissatisfaction among offensive players – grumbling about the predictability of the offense and what looked like indecorous snickering when the locker room opened. —Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2022

Hurston often ran afoul of her contemporaries because of her indecorous proclamations. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin indecorus, from in- + decorus decorous

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for indecorous

• decorous

Kids Definition

indecorous

adjective

in·​de·​co·​rous (ˈ)in-ˈdek-ə-rəs 

ˌin-di-ˈkōr-əs, 

-ˈkȯr-

: not proper or in good taste : unbecoming

indecorous behavior

indecorously adverb

indecorousness noun