respectability

Definition of respectabilitynext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of respectability Taken together, the studies have increased the respectability of mitochondria as a wide-ranging, dynamic area of study. Rachel Nuwer, Quanta Magazine, 17 July 2026 Getty Images Just a few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Phillies appeared to be playing for little more than respectability after a disastrous start to the 2026 season. Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Theater artists who have come of age in this period have been released from the burden of having to conform to notions of regional theater respectability. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 For Democrats in the Florida Legislature, the long road back to respectability runs right along the Broward coastline. Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026 There is no slowdown on the road to respectability. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026 Pamphlets detailing how goods were disinfected prior to sale shellacked an additional veneer of respectability onto the enterprise. Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026 Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks, too, went from the butt of jokes to respectability. James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 8 June 2026 This emphasis on wholesome working-class respectability is heedless of the ’60s rushing toward them, a decade that, by 1958, the other counselors have prematurely embraced. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectability
Noun
  • Yes, these stories have monsters in them, heroic adventures, and black-and-white morality tales.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • But there’s a difference between narrating crime scenes at a remove and wrestling with the lingering morality of it all.
    Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
Noun
  • Neill was a performer whose bone-deep decency shone through his work and was amplified in later years by a social-media presence that featured him reminiscing about his career or hanging out with animals on his farm, or maybe cuddling a duck.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • The message of the Corcoran cancellation was that crossing some undefined line of decency gave the government license to come after you.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Noun
  • Gustaf Lagerbielke, a 26-year-old center back, comes from a line of nobility, particularly Counts, in his home country.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • This piece of jewelry, worn by Princess Elisabeth, was a wedding gift from the Belgian nobility to Mathilde on the occasion of her wedding in 1999.
    Marta Martínez Tato, Vanity Fair, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Here is what that looks like in mine, offered as practice rather than virtue.
    Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • There are of course also individuals who are just narcissistic, selfish and virtue-signaling under the guise of concern, sources said.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Noun
  • The goal not to invent a new standard of fairness after the fact, just to apply the existing standards consistently.
    Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • People are reacting not only to climate change itself but also to what a policy signals about government, markets, fairness and personal cost.
    Mayank Kejriwal, The Conversation, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • Building a reputation for trustworthiness and fairness through transparent actions and accountability also helps reinforce one’s incorruptibility.
    Nancy Pulciano, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2026
  • While critics say these changes are merely cosmetic, many ordinary Bangladeshis have been sold on the veneer of incorruptibility that comes from a theological under-pinning.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Empathy, service orientation and conscientiousness are genuine assets the for-profit world could learn from.
    Patrick Jinks, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • Two programs Dudamel led in March were powerful examples of civic conscientiousness.
    Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Progressive Christian leaders are also encouraging congregants to use their faith as the basis for their social justice activism.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • Any former employee who brought a complaint has a right to see justice carried out — not dropped simply because Benton quit.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Respectability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectability. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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