Decent means good enough to meet a reasonable standard, or showing basic respect and kindness toward others. When your mom asks if you got a decent grade on your science test, she's asking if you did reasonably well, not whether you got a perfect score. A decent meal fills you up and tastes good, even if it's not fancy restaurant food.

The word often suggests something is satisfactory without being exceptional. A decent salary pays the bills comfortably. A decent hotel room is clean and safe, though it might not have a pool or room service. When you describe something as decent, you're saying it's perfectly acceptable and nothing to complain about.

Decent also describes people who treat others fairly and with respect. A decent person keeps their promises, tells the truth, and helps when they can. If your neighbor shovels your sidewalk during a snowstorm, you might say “That was really decent of him.” This meaning connects to decency, which means behaving in a moral, honorable way.

Sometimes people use decent to soften criticism: “The movie was decent” often means “it was okay but not great.” Other times it's genuine praise: calling someone a decent human being is a real compliment, suggesting they have solid character and integrity.