- indecorous
- indecorous, improper, unseemly, indecent, unbecoming, indelicate are comparable when meaning not in conformity with the accepted standard of what is right or fitting or is regarded as good form. The first four words are in general the diametrical opposites of decorous, proper, seemly, decent (see DECOROUS), but the negative terms are often more sharply distinguished from each other than the affirmative terms.Something is indecorous wfrich trangresses the conventions of polite society or its notions of what constitutes good form or good manners{
indecorous behavior at a funeral
}{they regarded argument in public as indecorous
}{a generation of critical circles has maintained an indecorous silence, not so much discreet as unbecoming, concerning John Masefield— Salomon
}Something is improper which violates an accepted standard of what is right, correct, or fitting, especially in etiquette, in language, in aesthetics, or in morals{I am sure if I had known it to be improper I would not have gone with Mr. Thorpe at all— Austeny
}{he was telling her a funny story, probably an improper one, for it brought out her naughtiest laugh— Cather
}Something is unseemly which is not only indecorous or improper but also offensive to persons of good taste or to strict followers of the conventions{I consider it very unseemly to talk in this loose fashion before young men— Cather
}{Maurice disgraced Amy and himself by joining in an unseemly fracas with the police— Rose Macaulay
}{we were in no danger of being betrayed into any unseemly manifestations of religious fervor— L. P. Smith
}Something is indecent which is grossly offensive to those who observe the proprieties or, in a frequent stronger sense of the word, which violates or outrages accepted standards or morals, modesty, or propriety{indecent plays
}{indecent behavior
}{why do we regard it as indecent to tuck the napkin between the waistcoat buttons— Mencken
}{buried him with indecent haste and without the proper rites— A. M. Young
}{these dances, though to the eyes of Johnston . . . "grossly indecent" . . . are "danced reverently"— Ellis
}Something is unbecoming which does not befit one's character or standing or is not in accordance with one's own standards{had a . . . look in her eye that was unbecoming in a menial position— H. G. Wells
}{charged with conduct unbecoming to a soldier— James Jones
}Something is indelicate which verges upon immodesty or which betrays lack of tact or of sensitive perceptions{she had visions, so startling that she half repudiated them as indelicate, of coarse masculine belongings strewn about in endless litter— M. E. Freeman
}{think no more of the matter. It is very indelicate for a young lady to dwell on such subjects— Deland
}Analogous words: unfitting, inappropriate, unsuitable, *unfit: incongruous, inconsonant: *rude, ill-mannered, uncivil, discourteous, impolite: *coarse, vulgar, grossAntonyms: decorousContrasted words: decent, nice (see DECOROUS): ceremonious, formal, conventional (see CEREMONIAL)
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
