seemly
/ˈsiːmli
/adjective (seemlier, seemliest)
Conforming to accepted notions of propriety or good taste; decorous: I felt it was not seemly to observe too closely...
- For most practical purposes the exclusion is one of form, not substance, and is based on local cultural notions of what is seemly.
- The Marriage Act of 1995 extended the range of places which could be licensed for the conduct of marriage to any location which was appropriately seemly and dignified.
- In other words, didn't our notions of professional loyalty suggest a seemly bit of time between service to a president and exposure of his flaws?
Synonyms
decorous, proper, decent, becoming, fitting, suitable, appropriate, apt, apposite, meet, in good taste, genteel, polite, conventional, the done thing, right, correct, acceptable;
French comme il faut
Derivatives
seemliness
- For an institution whose culture has been built on order and seemliness, it is deeply distressing to learn of serious flaws and even criminal activity within its fold.
- There is a sort of seemliness by which you can live your life without having great moral principles.
- Hundreds die everyday without the seemliness of a proper investigation since there is never anyone to care.
Origin
Middle English: from Old Norse sœmiligr, from soemr 'fitting' (see seem).
- reconvoke
- recopilation
- recopper
- recopy
- record
- recordability
- recordable
- Recordak
- recordal
- recordant
- recordari
- recordation
- recordative
- record bag
- record bottle
- record-breaker
- record-breaking
- record changer
- record-changing
- record club
- Record Commission
- record committee
- record contract
- record deal
- record deck