Respectable — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Respectable (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. having a good reputation especially in a field of knowledge

   "no respectable dietician would advise people to eat just one kind of food"

   similar: esteemed, estimable, name, prestigious, recognized, reputable, reputed, respected
   related: honorable, venerable, worthy, creditable, good, praiseworthy, celebrated, distinguished, famed, famous, honored, illustrious, notable, prominent, redoubtable, renowned, well-known
   opposite: disreputable
   near: seedy, shadowy, shady, no-name, obscure, undistinguished, unknown

2. following the accepted rules of moral conduct

   "cheating is not a respectable thing to do under any circumstances"

   similar: decent, ethical, honest, honorable, just, noble, principled, righteous, stand-up, upright, upstanding
   related: blameless, guiltless, irreproachable, unassailable, unimpeachable, chivalrous, classy, high-minded, menschy, right-minded, conscientious, fair, good, incorruptible, moral, reputable, respected, scrupulous, uncorrupted, virtuous, decorous, nice, polite, proper, seemly
   opposite: base, dishonest, dishonorable, ignoble, low, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unworthy
   near: bad, blackguardly, corrupt, criminal, crooked, evil, immoral, iniquitous, knavish, mean, nefarious, rascally, reprehensible, roguish, rotten, scoundrelly, sinful, unfair, unscrupulous, vile, villainous, wicked, wretched, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, culpable, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, disgraceful, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, loose, perverse, perverted, profligate, reprobate, shameful, venal

3. following the established traditions of refined society and good taste

   "has the respectable manners of someone who was well brought up"

   similar: befitting, correct, de rigueur, decent, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, seemly
   related: acceptable, adequate, satisfactory, tolerable, dress, dressy, formal, dignified, elegant, gracious, priggish, prim, stiff, stuffy, apt, material, relevant, compatible, congenial, harmonious, allowed, authorized, kosher, permitted
   opposite: improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, unbecoming, ungenteel, unseemly
   near: intolerable, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, casual, grungy, informal, seedy, shabby, tacky, banned, barred, disallowed, forbidden, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, awkward, gauche, ungraceful

4. of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards

   "the artwork that we commissioned from the muralist turned out to be respectable but was not quite what we had hoped for"

   similar: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fairish, fine, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, serviceable, tolerable, up to snuff
   related: agreeable, bearable, endurable, sufferable, average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, middling, minimal, common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-rate, so-so, standard, unexceptional, appropriate, correct, due, fitting, meet, proper, right, seemly, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying
   opposite: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting
   near: disagreeable, disreputable, improper, indecent, objectionable, unfit, unsuitable, unworthy, useless, wrong, bad, cheap, defective, faulty, imperfect, incomplete, lamentable, pitiful, shoddy, dissatisfying, insufficient, meager, mean, miserly, poor, scanty, shabby, short, skimpy, spare, stingy, insufferable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, atrocious, execrable, miserable, vile, wretched, exceptional, exquisite, extreme, fancy, first-class, high-grade, matchless, maximized, maximum, optimal, optimum, peerless, preeminent, premium, special, supreme, unmatched, unparalleled, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, classic, crackerjack, dandy, divine, fabulous, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful

5. sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention

   "got paid a respectable sum for speaking at our graduation"

   similar: biggish, considerable, good, goodly, handsome, healthy, largish, major, significant, sizable, substantial, substantive, tidy
   related: big, bulky, hefty, hulking, outsize, oversize, voluminous, astronomical, bumper, colossal, elephantine, enormous, gigantic, great, herculean, huge, immense, jumbo, king-size, mammoth, massive, monstrous, monumental, prodigious, titanic, tremendous, whopping
   opposite: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, insubstantial, negligible, nominal
   near: measly, minute, paltry, petty, picayune, picayunish, piddling, puny, trifling, trivial, unimportant, marginal, meager, slight, little, small, tiny, undersized, bitty, diminutive, miniature, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, smallish