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respectable

respectable

7 3.7
Fairly large in amount or of good quality
  • adjective
  • /rɪˈspɛktəbl/
: considerable
  • She's also on a series of small billboards downtown, and she has a pretty respectable social media following.
  • respectable growth
  • respectable level
  • respectable figure

They have all the pop culture stuff you could want for a respectable amount of money.

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Examples

  • Using census figures, the 1960-1970 increase comes down to 22 percent, still a respectable change.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In her prime, she could cut the waves at a respectable seventeen knots.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • OK, it's still a pretty respectable number, right?

  • Yeah, it's looking respectable now, very happy.

  • When are you gonna bring some respectable money into this house?

  • I mean, not a ton, but a respectable amount.

  • Jed Turner turned down a respectable offer on his property just last month.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Barbados in the 1720s also reported a respectable level of church attendance on Sunday.

    Academic text (2007)
  • That's a respectable score.

  • The charity received a respectable donation that will help many families in need.

Synonyms

good
vsrespectable
633 3.2

A fairly large amount or distance

is the plain idea of fairly large rather than thoroughness
sizable
vsrespectable
  • US
61 3.7

Quite large in size or amount

is the general sense of fairly large and not insignificant
hefty
vsrespectable
53 4.1

Being large in amount and often expensive

focuses on being fairly large without extra force
healthy
vsrespectable
48 2.3

A large amount or number

is a broader fairly large sense not tied to counts
tidy
vsrespectable
11 3.7

A fairly large amount, often of money

is the plain fairly large sense without implying exact measure
goodly
vsrespectable
10 9.4

Large in amount or size

is the basic fairly large idea rather than notable extent
goodish
vsrespectable
1 5.0

A bit more than average in size, amount, or quality

focuses on amount and not on positive quality

Antonyms

196 3.3

Very small in amount or degree

102 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

31 5.6

Very small or unimportant and not worth worrying about

How Large

huge
∞ 1.0
substantial
308 5.0
considerable
238 4.6
respectable
7 3.7
moderate
310 3.3
small
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

respectable positive
respectabler comparative
respectablest superlative

Morphology

respectable = respect (semi-transparent) = respect + able

Although morphologically 'respect' + '-able', the sense 'fairly large' is a figurative extension and not directly inferable from the base.

Etymology

Respectable (meaning 'fairly large') is the same word as respectable from respect, and a helpful way to remember this sense is that if an amount or result deserves approval it is also 'respectable' in size. So a respectable sum or result is not small and is worthy of praise.