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

The lawsuit demands a trial by jury and deems the decorum policy overly broad and vague. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

Judges thanked the audience for maintaining a respectful decorum for an intense and sensitive case. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 21 Sep. 2026

Posters at The Chronicle of the Horse began, with only a little more decorum, to pick over Kanarek’s online posturing and history of disputes. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

There, Powell trained some of the company's biggest young stars in the art of public decorum. — Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from neuter of Latin decōrus "good-looking, worthy of approval, suitable" — more at decorous

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for decorum

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