decencyde‧cen‧cy /ˈdiːsənsi/ noun 
a judgment reflecting the decency and good sense of the American peoplecommon/human/public decency (=standards of behaviour that are expected of everyone) The film was banned on the grounds of public decency. Is there no sense of decency left in this country? If they’re going to charge people a fee, they ought to at least have the decency to tell them in advance.2 decencies [plural] old-fashioned standards of acceptable behaviour
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and decency.
- He borrowed money from me and didn't even have the common decency to pay me back.
- I think you should have the decency to tell him you are already married.
- You can rely on their decency and good sense.
- As gratified as I was by this display of loyalty and human decency, the picture was bleak.
- Honesty, decency, good will have no place in this business of selling or murdering an image.
- If he had had any decency he would have talked to Mr Malik about what was going to happen.
- Is there no sense of decency left in this country?
- It is at any rate possible that in her a certain ethical rightness and decency coexisted with aesthetic stiffness and suspicion.
- On the radio sports-talk shows, where the laws of decency seemingly failed to apply.
- They had been covered with a square of spotted muslin, for decency she supposed.
- Trepolov had some sense of decency and didn't go attacking the ball like some damned dervish.
Longman Language Activatorthe quality of being morally good
what is good in a person's character: · She had a wonderful combination of beauty and goodness.· His goodness shines through his every action.
good actions, characteristics, or behaviour: · Everyone has a choice between good and evil.· I just can't see any good in these people at all.
kindness, honesty, and fairness in the way that you treat other people: · You can rely on their decency and good sense.have the decency to do something: · I think you should have the decency to tell him you are already married.common decency (=ordinary decency that most people have): · He borrowed money from me and didn't even have the common decency to pay me back.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Is there no sense of decency left in this country? If they’re going to charge people a fee, they ought to at least have the decency to tell them in advance.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The humor in the movie sometimes goes beyond the bounds of good taste.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=standards of behaviour that are expected of everyone) The film was banned on the grounds of public decency.
The film was banned on the grounds of public decency. Is there no sense of decency left in this country? If they’re going to charge people a fee, they ought to at least have the decency to tell them in advance. The humor in the movie sometimes goes beyond the bounds of good taste.· Both were a generous extension of human decency.· As gratified as I was by this display of loyalty and human decency, the picture was bleak.
· Governments are also often drawn into disputes about matters of public taste and decency.· Until then, police practice involved turning a blind eye to minor breaches of public decency rather than embarking on lengthy prosecutions.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► common courtesy/decency/politeness
1[uncountable] polite, honest, and moral behaviour and attitudes that show respect for other people: - Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that results depend on factors other than staff efficiency. - T. Baines, Oxford.
a judgment reflecting the decency and good sense of the American peoplecommon/human/public decency (=standards of behaviour that are expected of everyone) The film was banned on the grounds of public decency. Is there no sense of decency left in this country? If they’re going to charge people a fee, they ought to at least have the decency to tell them in advance.2 decencies [plural] old-fashioned standards of acceptable behaviour