Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective indecorous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of indecorous are improper, indelicate, unbecoming, and unseemly. While all these words mean "not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste," indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners.

indecorous behavior

When could improper be used to replace indecorous?

While in some cases nearly identical to indecorous, improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method.

improper use of campaign contributions

When is indelicate a more appropriate choice than indecorous?

Although the words indelicate and indecorous have much in common, indelicate implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling.

indelicate expressions for bodily functions

Where would unbecoming be a reasonable alternative to indecorous?

In some situations, the words unbecoming and indecorous are roughly equivalent. However, unbecoming suggests behavior or language that does not suit one's character or status.

conduct unbecoming to an officer

When might unseemly be a better fit than indecorous?

The meanings of unseemly and indecorous largely overlap; however, unseemly adds a suggestion of special inappropriateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste.

remarried with unseemly haste

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of indecorous The massive tag is gone now but something just as indecorous seems likely to replace it. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 With round-the-clock musicians, magicians, comedians, blue men and white Bengal tigers, the Strip became the premier global destination not just for indecorous gambling, but also for family-friendly entertainment. Chris Carra, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 Now five seasons old, The Constructivists also have taken a step up in ambition by casting local veteran James Pickering as David, the latest in a run of wild, unhinged and indecorous old men the septuagenarian has brought to life on stage. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2023 Even a white-collar defendant’s photograph of himself holding a baseball bat next to a prosecutor’s photo might be easily dismissed as indecorous, but free, speech. Elliot Williams, CNN, 10 Apr. 2023 There was a palpable undercurrent of dissatisfaction among offensive players – grumbling about the predictability of the offense and what looked like indecorous snickering when the locker room opened. Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2022 Both Diaz and Daichendt are old enough to remember the days when these cultures were seen as indecorous and even dangerous. San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2022 Hurston often ran afoul of her contemporaries because of her indecorous proclamations. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2022 However indecorous her comments, those facts take her commentary out of the purview of the school district. Arkansas Online, 2 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indecorous
Adjective
  • The app has a private messaging feature that can lead to inappropriate conversations with predators.
    Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Cornelius said that the superintendent later informed her of other prior incidents including her son — who has autism and is nonverbal — getting a shower without her permission, getting called vulgar names by staff and teachers, and receiving other inappropriate comments.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Medicare, the health insurance program for senior citizens, racked up $54.3 billion in improper payments last year.
    Kevin R. Kosar, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
  • As a consequence, there is a danger that the jury would reach a decision on an improper basis due to evidence that is unfairly prejudicial.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • If the new wells prove unsuitable for city use, the city has a contingency plan designed for rehabilitation.
    Kyle Martin, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Until now, scientists have generally thought that planets orbiting white dwarfs would be unsuitable for life because the dynamic temperature decrease of their dead parent star makes their atmospheres too unstable.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Hallucinations, on the other hand, occur when an AI system is asked to provide factual information or perform specific tasks but instead generates incorrect or misleading content while presenting it as accurate.
    Anna Choi, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Do not sign an immigration form that includes incorrect information or blanks.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The question of the night is the choice between selling out their souls to the vapid American tourists at the Tropicana nightclub (bad) or singing for their own people on the wrong side of the tracks (good).
    Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But Nicol isn’t wrong to think that the real entertainment is coming from inside the house, where the spry Gita may love nothing more than to be on camera.
    Stephen Saito, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite that success, Willard was unhappy with the program’s financial commitments.
    Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The extra time will presumably be used to fix whatever about the season executives are unhappy with.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Indecorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indecorous. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on indecorous

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