decorum
noun
de·co·rum
di-ˈkȯr-əm 
1
2
: propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance
… strict in her notions of decorum …—
Jane Austen
Jane Austen3
: orderliness
… the organization's decorum has rarely been shaken.—W. F. Longgood
W. F. Longgood4
decorums plural
: the conventions of polite behavior
… the established sobrieties and decorums of English life.—H. G. Wells
H. G. WellsExamples 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
Usually, nothing happens, because that’s the beauty of us everywhere, there’s the same story, just the decorum changes and the dynamic changes.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
Others just get giddy having a green light to upend society’s rules of decorum, even for a short window of time.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Rules of decorum The Enquirer and both candidates have set the debate rules with a strong emphasis on mutual respect for the candidates and moderator, and the opportunity for all attendees to be unhindered in their ability to listen and hear the candidates’ responses.
—Staff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
All under Guadagnino’s scrupulous direction and cinematographer Malik Sayeed’s (Belly) visualization, the performative guise of Ivy League school decorum delivers as the perfect dichotomy to the serious nature of what these characters put each other through.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
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Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
Others just get giddy having a green light to upend society’s rules of decorum, even for a short window of time.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Rules of decorum The Enquirer and both candidates have set the debate rules with a strong emphasis on mutual respect for the candidates and moderator, and the opportunity for all attendees to be unhindered in their ability to listen and hear the candidates’ responses.
—Staff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
All under Guadagnino’s scrupulous direction and cinematographer Malik Sayeed’s (Belly) visualization, the performative guise of Ivy League school decorum delivers as the perfect dichotomy to the serious nature of what these characters put each other through.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decorum
Cite this Entry
“Decorum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decorum. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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