Definition of DECOROUSLY

Decorous Got Its Start With Etiquette

The current meaning of decorous dates from the mid-17th century. One of the word's earliest recorded uses appears in a book titled The Rules of Civility (1673): "It is not decorous to look in the Glass, to comb, brush, or do any thing of that nature to ourselves, whilst the said person be in the Room." Decorous for a time had another meaning as well—"fitting or appropriate"—but that now-obsolete sense seems to have existed for only a few decades in the 17th century. Decorous derives from the Latin word decorus, an adjective created from the noun decor, meaning "beauty" or "grace." Decor is akin to the Latin verb decēre ("to be fitting"), which is the source of our adjective decent. It is only fitting, then, that decent can be a synonym of decorous.

Examples of decorous in a Sentence

we were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event the oppressively decorous standards of a royal court

Recent Examples on the Web

Down below was the separation barrier, with decorous brickwork beautifying the side facing an Israeli settlement. — David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, "Touring the Israeli Occupation: Young U.S. Jews Get an Unflinching View," 10 July 2019 By and large, though, Pei delivered reliably decorous schemes for institutional clients most concerned that their buildings not look dated too soon. — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, "I.M. Pei: Establishment Modernism Lite," 24 May 2019 The two films are an appropriate combo fort his gang: Bumble is nothing if not woman-centric, and its notions of womanhood intertwine strands of the cute with the noble, the ambitious with the decorous, and the feminine with the feminist. — Daphne Beal, Marie Claire, "Whitney Wolfe Herd Has Big Plans for Bumble in 2019," 20 Sep. 2018 She felt torn, in that class, between the imperative to teach the kind of decorous speech that would be helpful in a job interview and the desire to hear the authentic voices of her young black and brown students, profanities and all. — Laura Collins-hughes, New York Times, "A Play Caught in the Crossfire," 12 June 2018 The courtroom scenes in Part 3 are decorous but then out of control. — Margaret Lyons, New York Times, "Review: ‘A Very English Scandal’ Is Very Good. And Scandalous.," 28 June 2018 The ever-decorous Barnes, reached by phone Wednesday, said that she was honored to be recognized. — Bill Turque, kansascity, "Former mayor Kay Barnes finally has something named for her (hint: it’s not a street)," 31 May 2018 Sparkling lights, winsome greenery and decorous florals abounded in the St. Charles Room of Loyola University Danna Center for the Holy Name of Jesus School's auction and gala on April 6. — Sue Strachan, NOLA.com, "Holy Name of Jesus School gala a spritely success," 8 May 2018 Inspirational subject matter and decorous visuals should add up to solid buyer interest in Cannes, especially from high-end TV outlets. — Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The State Against Mandela and the Others': Film Review | Cannes 2018," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decorous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.