RESPECTABLE Synonyms: 379 Similar and Opposite Words

respectable

adjective

ri-ˈspek-tə-bəl

Definition of respectable

as in respected

having a good reputation especially in a field of knowledge no respectable dietician would advise people to eat just one kind of food

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in honorable

following the accepted rules of moral conduct cheating is not a respectable thing to do under any circumstances

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as in polite

following the established traditions of refined society and good taste has the respectable manners of someone who was well brought up

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as in decent

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

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as in considerable

sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention got paid a respectable sum for speaking at our graduation

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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 respectable Turning up the volume on their performance made Miami’s defense respectable for three quarters of Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 Nothing terribly exciting is happening inside this three-bedroom, but there’s lots of light and a respectable amount of space, and the beach is just a few minutes away. — Nora Deligter, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2026 Horror may now be respectable enough for its own sprawling exhibition at the Academy Museum, but Criterion’s October lineup proves there are still plenty of disreputable pleasures to be found. — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Last season, MacPhee’s predecessor Bernardo Cueva managed to help Chelsea earn a respectable return from attacking set pieces, but dead-ball situations at the other end of the pitch remained a glaring weakness. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for respectable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectable

Adjective

Speaking your mind candidly is essential right now—feeling seen and respected is core to your sense of self-worth.

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Pair a winning culture of a respected NBA franchise with a top five talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo and blockbuster is supposed to happen, if the main characters stay healthy, everyone buys in, and the sports Gods are kind.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of respected

Adjective

Music of the margins — which before neoperreo was punk rock and hip-hop — had been framed in opposition to polite society.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The emergency response agents were always polite and professional, and two-way communications came through loud and clear.

— John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of polite

Adjective

Tall Tales, the rooftop lounge, offers a few small bites, such as elote guacamole, along with a menu of cocktails, wine, beer, and a decent selection of nonalcoholic options.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
There should be a decent contingent of American cardinals and archbishops at the games.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of decent

Adjective

The format is innovative, involving 30 students from France’s prestigious perfumery schools École Supérieure du Parfum, or ESP, and Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l’Aromatique Alimentaire, or ISIPCA.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
He had just been awarded the prestigious Alfred Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, which gave him the financial means and time to work on several projects and to announce himself and his work to a wider academic community.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of prestigious

Adjective

My honest read on timing is that the five percent will be twenty percent by end of 2027, and fifty by end of 2029.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The original impetus for the film, to be honest, was to look at an incredible life story over a long German period.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of honest

Adjective

Any function whose work can be pointed at a proper model of its underlying business, instead of at a general-purpose language model, is starting to compound the same way Anthropic’s engineering did a year ago.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.

— Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026