- propriety and good taste in behavior, dress, etc.
- an act or requirement of polite behavior: often used in pl.
Origin of decorum
L, neuter of decorus, fit, proper from decor: see decor
A little girl shows proper decorum.
Decorum is defined as appropriate, polite behavior in society.
An example of decorum is to show good table manners.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"decorum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum>.
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decorum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum
decorum
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"decorum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum>.
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decorum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum
decorum
noun
- Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety: “In the Ireland of the 1940's … the stolidity of a long, empty, grave face was thought to be the height of decorum and profundity” ( John McGahern )
- decorums The conventions or requirements of polite behavior: the formalities and decorums of a military funeral.
- The appropriateness of an element of an artistic or literary work, such as style or tone, to its particular circumstance or to the composition as a whole.
Origin of decorum
Latin decōrum from decōrus becoming, handsome ; see decorous .THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"decorum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum>.
APA Style
decorum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum
Noun
(countable and uncountable, plural decorums)
- (uncountable) Appropriate social behavior; propriety
- (countable) A convention of social behavior
Origin
From Latin decōrus (“proper, decent”).
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"decorum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum>.
APA Style
decorum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Decorum
Sentence Examples
- There was decorum in the countenance he wore.
- Perhaps you could respond to Andy's points and restore a little decorum here.
- When this ebony bird flew in it was beguiling my sad fancy into smiling by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
- She accepted his report, not without obvious sadness but with business-like decorum and no sign of tears.
- He was a regular observer of religious rites, took great pains to secure decorum in the services of the church, and was generous in almsgiving both within his empire and without.
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