RESPECTABILITY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

respectability

noun

Definition of respectability

as in morality

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Recent Examples of respectability Only his father’s respectability, and perhaps his odd Motown accent, spared him from getting cussed out by bridesmaids at society weddings as a wastrel and drunkard, a shameless woman-wrapper. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026 Historically, social respectability has relied, remarkably often, on the discretion of others and the last resort of deniability. — Fern Schumer Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 Critics online have described restrictions on du-rags and bonnets as respectability politics that unfairly target clothing associated with Black culture. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Standards are not automatically anti-Black Not every expectation set within a Black institution is respectability politics. — Tee Wilson, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectability

Noun

Others, however, expressed some concerns about the morality of cashing in on the destruction.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Like Tara’s death for Willow, Connor’s disappearance rewrites the laws of morality for Angel.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of morality

Noun

But this is a company that has placed profits ahead of that trust and ahead of public decency.

— Tyrone E. Keys Jr, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
And although Americans are attending church less frequently, there’s still a high degree of concern over morality and decency in the country – two qualities many people associate with organized religion.

— Sophie Hills, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026

Definition of decency

Noun

Today, young people are increasingly frustrated with the hypocrisy of politicians lecturing them about the virtues of voting while in practice facilitating disengagement.

— David Neil, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Just as uniformity is a virtue of a product, so uniqueness is a virtue of a service.

— Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of virtue

Noun

But the strategic cocktail of soft nationalism, corporate politics and ticket-sales boosterism that constitutes the wild card system more often overshadows sporting fairness.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Suggest a price range, offer another option, and let fairness include different comfort levels.

— Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of fairness

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

Definition of incorruptibility

Noun

For Margarita Wray, the possibility of losing her son has turned the criminal case into an intensely personal fight for justice.

— Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
In December, the tribunal issued its final judgment in The Hague—a symbolic choice given the city’s role as a center of international justice—upholding the charge of gender persecution.

— Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of justice

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“Respectability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectability. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of respectability

noun

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