Decent Meaning(定義、用法、例句與發音)

decent

adjective

快速理解

What does "Decent" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Decent"?

「decent」主要形容事物達到可接受或令人滿意的標準,也可指人品行端正。

  1. 1

    可接受的、還不錯的

    EN: acceptable or good enough

    翻譯: 指品質、數量或程度達到可接受或令人滿意的標準,雖非頂尖但足夠好。

  2. 2

    正派的、得體的

    EN: morally correct or respectable

    翻譯: 形容人的行為、品格或穿著合乎社會道德規範,端正、體面。

  3. 3

    相當的、可觀的

    EN: a fairly large amount of something

    翻譯: 表示數量或程度相當大或顯著,但非精確數字。

  4. 4

    友善的、樂於助人的

    EN: kind or willing to help

    翻譯: 形容人友善、好心,願意提供幫助。

小提醒:注意「decent」在口語中常表示「還不錯」,而非「優秀」。例如「a decent meal」通常指一頓還可以的飯,不一定非常美味。

發音(How to Pronounce "Decent" in English

How to pronounce "Decent" in English?"Decent" US vs UK pronunciation

點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。

Real-life Examples of "Decent" from YouTube Videos

Dalton Caldwell's Whale AMA

Y Combinator

I don't know if everyone realizes this, but um, a pretty decent percentage of a batch is people that we had previously uh not accepted and they came back, and then you know, the next time or two batches later, we took them um.

(1 out of 12)

Definitions(定義)

What are the definitions of "Decent"?How does "Decent" change by context?

1. acceptable or satisfactory in quality or standard

品質或標準尚可接受的;還不錯的

He found a decent apartment at a reasonable price.

他以合理的價格找到了一間還不錯的公寓。

The food at the cafe is decent, but nothing special.

這間咖啡館的食物還不錯,但沒什麼特別的。

2. morally good or socially acceptable; proper

品行端正的;得體的;合乎禮儀的

She is a decent person who always tries to do the right thing.

她是個品行端正的人,總是努力做正確的事。

Please wear decent clothes for the formal dinner.

請為正式晚宴穿著得體的服裝。

3. kind, fair, or generous

友善的;公平的;大方的

It was very decent of him to offer his help.

他主動提供幫助,真是非常友善。

The boss gave her a decent raise this year.

老闆今年給了她一個相當不錯的加薪。

4. adequate or substantial in amount or size

數量或大小足夠的;相當的

After working for a few years, he managed to save a decent amount of money.

工作幾年後,他設法存下了一筆可觀的錢。

We need a decent-sized room for the meeting.

我們需要一個大小足夠的房間來開會。

Grammar & Patterns(句型)

What are common sentence patterns for "Decent"?How to make natural sentences with "Decent"?
PatternMeaningExample
decent + noun體面的/不錯的 + 名詞He found a decent job after graduation. (畢業後他找到了一份體面的工作。)
decent + enough足夠好的The food was decent enough for a quick lunch. (這食物當作一頓快速的午餐已經足夠好了。)
look/seem decent看起來不錯/體面The apartment looks decent from the outside. (這公寓從外面看起來不錯。)
be decent to + someone對某人友善/公道You should try to be decent to your colleagues. (你應該試著對你的同事友善些。)
a decent amount of + noun相當數量的 + 名詞She spent a decent amount of time preparing the presentation. (她花了相當多的時間準備簡報。)
do the decent thing做體面/正確的事In the end, he decided to do the decent thing and return the money. (最終,他決定做正確的事,把錢歸還。)

用法說明

How is "Decent" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Decent"?

decent 與 decently 的用法區別

  • decent 是形容詞,用來描述名詞或代名詞,表示「體面的、像樣的、足夠好的」。
  • decently 是副詞,用來修飾動詞、形容詞或其他副詞,表示「體面地、像樣地、相當好地」。
  • 常見錯誤是將形容詞 decent 直接放在動詞前來修飾動作,這是不正確的。
  • 在口語中,decent 有時會非正式地用作副詞,但在正式寫作或考試中,建議使用 decently。 EN: He found a decent apartment in the city. 翻譯: 他在城裡找到了一間像樣的公寓。

EN:The team played decently and won the match.

翻譯:這支隊伍打得相當好,贏得了比賽。

EN:She always dresses in a decent manner for work.

翻譯:她上班總是穿著得體。

EN:She always dresses decently for work.

翻譯:她上班總是穿得很得體。

總結建議

在修飾動詞或形容詞以表達「體面地、相當好地」時,應使用副詞 decently,而非形容詞 decent

易混淆對比

What is the difference between "Decent" and similar words?How to choose "Decent" vs alternatives?

decent vs respectable

「decent」強調符合基本標準、尚可接受,而「respectable」則更側重於值得尊敬、體面或有良好聲譽。

decent vs proper

「decent」側重於符合一般道德或行為標準,而「proper」則強調符合特定規則、禮儀或正確做法。

decent vs adequate

「decent」帶有正面評價的意味,而「adequate」則更中性,僅表示剛好足夠、符合最低要求。

口語用法

How is "Decent" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Decent"?

引述

在轉述他人評價或描述社會普遍看法時,常用來緩和語氣,表示這並非說話者本人的強烈主張。 EN: He said the food was decent, nothing special. 翻譯: 他說食物還算可以,沒什麼特別的。

EN:Most people think it's a decent place to start your career.

翻譯:大多數人認為那是個還不錯的職涯起點。

語氣強調

與 "pretty" 或 "fairly" 連用時,表示「相當不錯」,是一種常見但略帶保留的正面評價。 EN: That's actually a pretty decent score! 翻譯: 那其實是個相當不錯的分數了!

EN:She did a fairly decent job under all that pressure.

翻譯:在那麼大的壓力下,她做得算是相當不錯了。

停頓填充

在思考如何精確描述或尋找合適詞彙時,用作暫時的評價填充詞,通常後面會接 "but" 帶出真正的看法。 EN: The movie was... decent, but I expected more from the director. 翻譯: 這部電影嘛…還行,但我對這位導演的期待更高。

EN:It's a decent phone, you know, but the battery life could be better.

翻譯:這是支還不錯的手機,你知道的,但電池續航力可以更好。

正式寫作注意:在學術論文、正式報告或法律文書中,應避免使用 "decent" 這種模糊的口語評價。建議改用更精確的形容詞,如 "acceptable"、"adequate"、"satisfactory" 或 "respectable",以符合文體的嚴謹性要求。

常見短語

What common collocations use "Decent"?What fixed phrases with "Decent" should I remember?

a decent amount

a decent amount of [noun]

相當的數量;足夠的量

a decent living

make/earn a decent living

過上體面的生活;有穩定的收入

perfectly decent

perfectly decent [noun]

完全得體;相當不錯

a decent person

a decent person

正派的人;體面的人

a decent chance

have/stand a decent chance

有相當的機會

decent behavior

decent behavior

得體的行為;合宜的舉止

do a decent job

do a decent job

做得不錯;表現尚可

常見錯誤

What are common mistakes with "Decent"?Which "Decent" sentences look correct but are wrong?

×He is a decent man, so he is very rich.

He is a decent man, so he is honest and kind.

「decent」主要形容人品正直、善良、得體,或事物品質尚可、過得去,並不直接等於「富有」。將「decent」與「rich」直接劃等號是常見的語義誤解。

×The food was decently.

The food was decent.

「decent」是形容詞,用來修飾名詞(如 a decent meal)或作為主詞補語(如 The food was decent)。「decently」是副詞,用來修飾動詞或形容詞(如 behave decently, decently cooked)。在 be 動詞後應使用形容詞形式。

×I had a decent time at the party. (想表達玩得非常開心)

I had a great/wonderful/fantastic time at the party.

「decent」在形容事物品質時,通常意味著「尚可、過得去、不算差」,但帶有「普通、未達出色」的含義。若想表達「非常好、很開心」,使用「decent」會顯得不夠強烈,甚至可能被誤解為「只是還行」。

×She is decent to help others.

It is decent of her to help others. / She is decent enough to help others.

描述「某人做某事是得體的/善良的」時,常用句型是「It is decent of someone to do something」。直接使用「She is decent to help others」雖然可能被理解,但聽起來不自然,更像中文直譯。

×We need a decent of amount of time to finish.

We need a decent amount of time to finish.

「decent」作為形容詞,修飾後面的名詞片語「amount of time」。常見錯誤是誤加了「of」在「decent」後面,形成「a decent of amount」,這是不正確的。正確的片語是「a decent amount/number/salary...」。

詞形變化

What are the word forms of "Decent"?What are tense/participle forms of "Decent"?