Etymologically
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respectable

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /rɪˈspektəb(ə)l/, /rəˈspektəb(ə)l/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English respect + -able,[2][3][4][5] from the verb according to the OED and Etymonline,[2][3] from the noun according to the Shorter Oxford.[6] In the sense "worthy of respect" it follows French respectable, recorded in Middle French from about 1470;[2][6] the OED also compares Spanish respetable (early 16th century), Portuguese respeitável (1672) and Italian rispettabile (1686).[2] The base respect goes back to Latin respectus (“regard, a looking back”), from respiciō (“to look back at, regard”).[7][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Worthy of notice or consideration: 1584, in a letter printed in the Letters & Papers of Lord Gray.[2][4] Etymonline also dates this sense to the 1580s;[3] it was obsolete after 1749.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense "worthy of respect, estimable" is recorded from 1603, in Florio's translation of Montaigne,[2] or from the 1590s according to Etymonline.[3] From 1750 a respectable person was one of good or fair standing in society, at first by rank and later by being thought of good character;[2] from 1751 the word described behaviour or circumstances proper to such people.[2] Etymonline dates the sense "having an honest reputation" to 1755, and that of being moderately well-to-do and of good moral standing to about 1800.[3] From 1776 it could also mean decent in appearance or dress.[2] At the same time it was weakened to "considerable in size or number" (1736) and to "tolerable, passable" (1750),[2] senses Etymonline dates to 1755 and 1775.[3] The noun, a respectable person, usually in the plural, is recorded from 1770.[2][4] In the dialects of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Norfolk the word was applied to people better off than the speaker, or of the lower middle class.[8]

Timeline

  • 1584 – worthy of notice or consideration (obsolete after 1749).[2][4]
  • 1603 – worthy of respect; admirable, estimable.[2]
  • 1736 – considerable in number, size or quantity.[2]
  • 1749 – used politely of a person, formerly in forms of address.[2]
  • 1750 – of comparative merit; tolerable, fair.[2]
  • 1750 – of a person, of good standing in society.[2]
  • 1770 – noun, a respectable person.[2][4]
  • 1776 – decent or presentable in appearance.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having good social standing and a good reputation; behaving in a way that society accepts as proper: They moved to a respectable neighbourhood.
  2. Deserving respect or esteem; worthy.
  3. Fairly good or large; considerable: The team finished in a respectable fourth place.
  4. Decent or presentable in appearance: Put on something respectable for the interview.

Noun

  1. A respectable person; usually in the plural.

Word family

  • respectableness
  • respectably
  • respectability
  • nonrespectable
  • semirespectable
  • superrespectable
  • ultrarespectable

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)