What does indecent mean?
“Indecent” describes conduct, speech, images, or material that are considered offensive, improper, or contrary to accepted moral or social standards. Its most familiar use refers to sexual matters, as in “indecent exposure” or “indecent suggestions,” although the word can have a broader meaning of behaving badly or inappropriately. In older and literary English, “indecent haste” means undue haste, especially when associated with disorder, panic, or disreputable conduct. The word is generally strong rather than neutral, and its force depends on the context and the social conventions of the speaker. Compared with “obscene,” “indecent” often focuses more on inappropriateness or impropriety and less exclusively on explicit sexual or shocking content. It is a useful word for discussing standards of morality, public behaviour, and social propriety.
adjectiveOffensive or inappropriate according to accepted moral, social, or sexual standards. It can also describe something done with excessive haste or lack of propriety.
- Offensive or inappropriate according to accepted moral, sexual, or social standards.
- Done with excessive haste or lack of propriety, especially in a disreputable or disorderly way.
"The advertisement was rejected because it contained indecent references to the human body."
"The museum received complaints that the painting contained indecent imagery."
"They left the meeting in indecent haste, without formally closing the discussion."
The word “indecent” began as a moral judgment: something “not fitting” or “not seemly.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does indecent come from?
“Indecent” comes from Latin indecens, formed from the prefix in- meaning “not” and decens, meaning “fitting,” “suitable,” or “proper.” The word entered English through French in the 16th century and originally conveyed the idea of something unfitting or inappropriate. Its modern association with sexual impropriety developed later, while the older sense of unseemly or excessive behaviour remained in expressions such as “indecent haste.”
Related word forms
How indecent is actually used
In modern usage, “indecent” most often describes sexual material, behaviour, or suggestions, but it can also mean generally improper or unworthy. The sense “excessive or unseemly haste” is literary and now somewhat archaic.