decency

de·cency (dē′sən sē)

noun pl. -·cies

the quality or condition of being decent; propriety of conduct and speech; proper behavior, modesty, courtesy, etc.
socially proper actions; the proprieties
things needed for a proper or comfortable standard of living

Etymology: L decentia < decens: see decent

Converse of object

outrage: The offense of ' outraging public decency ' still exists under the ' common law ' .
preserve: This is not entirely paradoxical, since Orwell saw socialism as all about preserving traditional decencies.
have: The man didn't even have the decency to acquire his own guru.
offend: Disgraceful, I call it - it offends human decency... .
get: It's a shame you haven't got the decency to do the same.

Adjective modifier

innate: We have to go by the innate decency of the communities = than overt regulation of the government.
common: People out there just don't have any common decency any more.
human: High Court ruling is a victory for human decency.
moral: Unconsciously we expect our church membership, correct doctrine, or moral decency to pull us through.
basic: The lack of this basic human decency in their comments sent alarm bell ringing in my head.
fundamental: The story of the Chagos Archipelago should provide ample evidence to disabuse any rational person of the fundamental decency of the British Government.

Modifies a noun

threshold: To meet the EU's decency threshold, the UK minimum wage would be £ 7.32 an hour.
standard: Decent Homes In 2002 the Government established a target to ensure that all social housing meets a set decency standard by 2010.
law: Such blatant nudity can offend the locals and breach local decency laws, frequently leading to arrest.

Possessives

sake: The breakfast party was almost confined to ourselves, for tho her aunt was present she was only there for decency's sake.

Preposition: in

society: The erosion of grace, courtesy and decency in society was a grievance to him.
medium: Has the Beeb's taxi bill become " an issue of taste and decency in the media " ?

Preposition: of

people: They should listen - not to transatlantic ideologues but to the wisdom, humanity and decency of the British people.
material: SGPC is not responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality or decency of material contained in sites listed in our online directory.
community: We have to go by the innate decency of the communities = than overt regulation of the government.

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