- dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
- the quality or state of being decorous, or exhibiting such dignified propriety; orderliness; regularity.
- Usually decorums. an observance or requirement of polite society.
Origin of decorum
SynonymsSee more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
dulce et decorum est pro patria mori
- sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country.
Examples from the Web for decorum
And literary decorum, to elaborate, is almost the opposite of what decorum means in real life, which means etiquette basically.Martin Amis Talks About Nazis, Novels, and Cute Babies
Ronald K. Fried
October 9, 2014
They thanked him profusely for his public service, apologized for Republican hectoring, and complained about decorum.House Republicans Take on John Koskinen: Scenes From an IRS Sideshow
June 24, 2014
At a certain point is past the line of decorum, but, you know, this is New York.Eliot Spitzer Mobbed by Press, Heckled at First Campaign Stop
July 9, 2013
Not to mention violating whatever sense of decorum is left in the halls of Congress.Hey Steve King: In the Name of Christ, Lay Off Malia and Sasha
March 27, 2013
But with this pope still up and about, and a lame duck at that, the old sense of decorum may not apply.With Pope Benedict XVI’s Retirement, Conclave Rules Prove Unclear
February 12, 2013
Lady Sarah Lidhurst was precisely as sorry as decorum required.Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
This evening some decorum was observed, there wasn't too much gorging.The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Such a breach of delicacy and decorum never did I witness before.Gomez Arias
Joaqun Telesforo de Trueba y Coso
His victory made him uneasy, yet he saw no way of abandoning it with decorum.The Market-Place
It was then that he lost the decorum and restraint a man keeps up for his own sake.Within the Tides
- propriety, esp in behaviour or conduct
- a requirement of correct behaviour in polite society
Word Origin and History for decorum
1560s, from Latin decorum "that which is seemly," noun use of neuter of adjective decorus "fit, proper," from decor (see decor).