decorum

noun

de·​co·​rum di-ˈkȯr-əm 

1

: literary and dramatic propriety : fitness

According to strict neoclassic decorum only the aristocracy had the right to appear in tragedy …

—Irving Babbitt

2

: propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance

… strict in her notions of decorum …

—Jane Austen

3

: orderliness

… the organization's decorum has rarely been shaken.

—W. F. Longgood

4

decorums plural : the conventions of polite behavior

… the established sobrieties and decorums of English life.

—H. G. Wells

Synonyms of decorum

• etiquette
• decency
• propriety

Examples of decorum in a Sentence

He has no sense of decorum.

high standards of decorum are usually required when attending the opera

Recent Examples on the Web

If there’s cleverness to the way Lindsay-Abaire keeps passing the buck of hypocrisy between the members of the neighborhood association, there’s also a pervading sense of decorum that limits how far the satire can go. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026

That, too, was a violation of Graf's decorum order. —ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026

What once might have sounded like a genuine political emergency or a violation of constitutional decorum begins to register as just another day in American political life. —Stephanie A, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026

Once Snelling took to the auditorium stage, CCPSA President Remel Terry reminded the 100 or so people in attendance to maintain decorum. —Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from neuter of decorus — see decorous

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for decorum

• picloram
• pullorum
• aurum
• foram
• forum
• quorum
• digitorum
• neonatorum

Kids Definition

decorum

noun

de·​co·​rum di-ˈkōr-əm 

-ˈkȯr-

1

: agreement with accepted standards of conduct : proper behavior

social decorum

2

: the state or condition of being calm, orderly, and well-regulated

the decorum of the meeting