as in etiquette
socially acceptable behavior
high standards of decorum are usually required when attending the opera
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Recent Examples of decorum
Clothing turned into a placard violated the rule and the decorum of the chamber.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The Chinese researchers remained tactfully silent on the military front — perhaps choosing scientific decorum over a discussion of battlefield utility.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
But Americans are so politically divided that the decorum that was once a given during State of the Union addresses has now given way to partisan outbursts and interruptions.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
The still schematic design shows a large-scale grid across its facades grasping at some form of architectural decorum while demonstrating the building’s unwieldly proportions.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decorum
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The Chinese researchers remained tactfully silent on the military front — perhaps choosing scientific decorum over a discussion of battlefield utility.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
But Americans are so politically divided that the decorum that was once a given during State of the Union addresses has now given way to partisan outbursts and interruptions.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
The still schematic design shows a large-scale grid across its facades grasping at some form of architectural decorum while demonstrating the building’s unwieldly proportions.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decorum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decorum
Noun
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In 2016, Brooks could not even conceive of the spasms and breaches of etiquette that Trumpism would produce on an almost daily basis.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The bundle also includes specialty courses like ASL for babies and toddlers — helpful for early communication — along with scuba diving hand signals and an introductory e-book on the origins and etiquette of sign language.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
29 Mar. 2026
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Shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Larkin found that Muslim viewers in Kano reinterpreted Bollywood films through an Islamic moral lens, reading their narratives as reinforcing local values of propriety and ethical conduct.—
Gareth Barkin,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
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For the sake of propriety — Paley was one of the 20th century’s most powerful media paschas — his indiscretions were kept quiet.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decorum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decorum. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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