AEE 2536: How to Be Better Than Decent at English Vocabulary

Summary

All Ears English Podcast Episode 2536

Title: How to Be Better Than Decent at English Vocabulary
Release Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Michelle Kaplan & Aubrey Carter

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Episode Overview

In this lively and practical episode, Michelle and Aubrey dive into the nuanced ways native speakers use the adjective “decent” in American English. They break down its multiple meanings and common learner mistakes, provide real-life role play, and emphasize subtleties like tone. The episode is geared toward intermediate and advanced English learners eager to sound more natural and confident.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Focus on “Decent”? (03:15)

• Inspired by a common ESL learner error: using “decent” to mean “fantastic” or “really good.”
• “Decent” is tricky because its dictionary definition is vague, and its meaning changes with context and tone.
  • “If you just look at the dictionary definition … of an acceptable standard, satisfactory ... you probably think that means good, right? But it doesn’t really.” — Aubrey [03:29]

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The Four Main Meanings of “Decent” in English

1) Good Enough / Acceptable, Not Amazing (05:33)

• Describes something adequate but not impressive.
  • “The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but the food was decent.” — Michelle [05:56]
  • “If something I’m like, ‘It was all right. I probably wouldn’t recommend it,’ then I would describe it as ‘decent.’” — Aubrey [05:46]
• Typical connotations: “It’s fine, it just passes.” — Michelle [04:48]

2) Respectable / Reliable / Good Character (07:04)

• Used for people with integrity or honesty.
  • “He seems like a decent guy.” — Aubrey [07:10]
  • “Which was a really decent thing to do.” (helping an elderly neighbor) — Michelle [07:43]
• Here, “decent” is a compliment, meaning moral or trustworthy.

3) Proper / Appropriate / Presentable (08:05)

• Especially about clothing or appearance.
  • “Don’t come in, I’m not decent!” — Michelle [08:07]
  • “Are you decent?” (Can I come in? Are you dressed?) — Aubrey [08:14]
• Can refer to being generally presentable (not just clothed, but clean or appropriately dressed for the situation).

4) Fairly Large or Respectable Amount (08:46)

• Describes a moderate but respectable quantity or distance.
  • “We had a decent number of people show up to the event.” — Aubrey [08:55]
  • “They drove a decent distance before stopping.” — Michelle [09:19]
• Tone is important: can be positive or mildly disappointing, depending on delivery.
  • “If you were expecting thousands … ‘yeah, we had a decent number’… it’s not that positive.” — Aubrey [09:49]
  • “But if you did have a lot show up you could say, ‘Oh, we had a decent number of people!’” — Michelle [10:19]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don't want to accidentally describe something as decent if you mean it's really good. There's definitely a negative collocation to this—if you’re calling something decent, you actually mean it wasn’t that great.” — Aubrey [04:34]
• “My dad always says … ‘was it decent?’ … he sort of has a low bar … he’s not asking if it was good.” — Michelle [03:52]
• “It’s so strange that we have the exact same word … why couldn’t we come up with another word?” — Aubrey, on the word’s versatility [08:46]
• “It’s interesting how your tone will change this a little bit, whether it’s positive or negative.” — Aubrey [09:49]

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In-Depth Role Play: Using All Meanings of “Decent” (11:15–12:22; explained through 14:22)

Scenario: Michelle is picking up Aubrey to drive her to the airport.

• Decent price — “I got it on sale for a decent price, too.” [11:48]
  (“good enough, fair”)
• Decent of you — “That was really decent of you.” [11:52]
  (“thoughtful, kind”)
• Look decent — “Just need to change so I look decent.” [11:59]
  (“presentable, appropriate”)
• Decent drive — “It’s a decent drive to the airport from here.” [12:06]
  (“fairly far distance”)

Commentary:

• Using “decent” multiple times in conversation is possible due to its different meanings, but native speakers usually mix up their vocabulary for variety.
• The distinction between “look decent” (appearance, neat or appropriate) and “be decent” (clothed, not naked) is clarified. [14:22]
  • “If you say ‘I'm not decent,’ that almost sounds like you're not wearing clothes. But if you're talking about, ‘so I look decent,’ to look decent is different than to be decent.” — Michelle [14:25]

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Takeaways and Practical Tips

• Context and Tone Matter: Meaning often shifts with voice inflection and context.
  • “You also want to think about the tone of voice … that's also going to clue you in.” — Michelle [15:46]
• Don’t describe something as “decent” if you mean it was “fantastic” or “amazing.”
• “Decent” is very positive for people’s character, neutral-to-mildly negative for objects/experiences (unless describing an amount).

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Why “decent” is tricky for learners: [03:15–04:48]
• Four definitions and examples: [05:33–10:19]
• Role Play using all meanings: [11:15–12:22; discussion to 14:22]
• Subtle distinctions, commentary: [14:22–15:27]
• Tone and context advice: [15:46–16:07]
• Closing reflections: [16:13–16:26]

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Final Thoughts

This episode dives deep into a common “false friend” word in English, arming listeners with nuanced meanings, context and practical examples for “decent.” Michelle’s anecdotes (especially about her dad) lend warmth and humor, while Aubrey’s explanations demystify native usage. By the end, learners are equipped to avoid misunderstandings and use “decent” like a native—making their English better than just decent.

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Memorable farewell:
“This was really fun. And yeah, this is more than a decent episode.” — Michelle [16:13]
“I would not call this episode decent. No, it was fantastic.” — Aubrey [16:19]

Transcript

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2536, how to Be Better than decent at English vocabulary.

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, and Aubrey Carter, the Ielts whiz, coming to you from Arizona and New York City, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward/subscribe.

[Aubrey Carter]

The word decent can be confusing in English because the meaning changes depending on what you're describing and the intonation you use. Listen in for details.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Want a little behind the scenes? All Ears English magic. Take our super quick 5 minute survey and you'll be entered to win a free virtual meet and greet with your favorite All Ears English host. Yes, actually meeting one of us. Your answers help us make the podcast even better for you. More of what you love, less of what you don't. Five minutes. Big fun. Real impact. Deadline to enter the contest is December 31st, so go to allearsenglish.com survey now. Hey, Aubry, how are you?

[Aubrey Carter]

Hello, Michelle. How are you? I'm excited to record with you.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Me too. Guys, Aubry and I are recording together today. Lindsay will be back, but Aubry and I are getting the chance to record a bit, so. Very excited about that. But Aubry, I have a question for you. Okay. What is the last movie you saw in the theater?

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, Wicked, Part two. Wicked for Good. We took all of our kids yesterday and saw it in the theater.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I almost did that yesterday, but then everyone was too crazy. But how was it?

[Aubrey Carter]

Did you like? Was decent. Okay. I wrote this role play for us so I could use decent, but that's not actually how I feel. I really loved it. Did Wicked on Broadway. And I've loved these film adaptations. I like musicals, though. I know they're not for everyone, but I really loved it. And Cynthia Rivo and Ariana Grande both just have amazing voices. I was really blown away by that. The songs and how their voices blend and just the beautiful notes.

[Podcast Announcer]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Just gorgeous.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm excited to see it. Yeah, it's not as long as the first one.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, right. It felt very quick. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, that's good. But, yeah, I guess you're probably used to the first one where it, you know, you basically have to spend like.

[Aubrey Carter]

An intermission built in. It was great. It was long. Okay. Okay, good.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I have to. My son has Been asking this. It was asking to see it. Maybe I'll have to surprise him and take him.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it's fun. He'll like it. So this is interesting. We're talking about the word decent today. This was inspired by a mistake we've heard students make where they use the adjective decent to mean good or really good. Like maybe they would describe a movie and say it was a fantastic, decent film. And I can really see why. If you just look at the dictionary definition, I can see why this mistake is made. Because, you know, decent has so many meanings and the definition says of an acceptable standard, satisfactory. And I could see students thinking that means good. Right. But it doesn't really. It's interesting.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, that is very interesting. Yeah, it, it's. I. This makes me think of my dad because he, my dad to this day always says, oh, was it decent? Like, if you say, oh, I, I, you know, I had this, I went to this restaurant. Oh, was it decent? Or even on our videos from childhood of vacations, oh, Michelle, how was it? It was a decent. And. But I.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's so interesting. He sort of has a low bar. He's not asking if it was good. Like, decent meaning, like, was it acceptable.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. Acceptable. Satisfactory.

[Aubrey Carter]

Good enough.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. So I just think, when I hear the word decent, I think of my dad, but my dad is not just decent. My.

[Aubrey Carter]

My dad is wonderful.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

So this is interesting. You don't want to accidentally describe something as decent if you mean it's really good. Right. There's definitely a negative collocation to this that if you're calling something decent, you actually mean it wasn't that great.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's fine. It just passes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Exactly. But that's not the only meaning for decent. There are four different meanings, so we're going to share all of them today with examples. But guys, if you're not hitting follow on the Allers English podcast, you are missing lots of great episodes. Five new episodes every week. So wherever you are right now, open your search bar, search Allers English, and make sure you're following the podcast.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. And also if you are consuming our podcast on YouTube, if you don't know, we have a thriving YouTube channel and our episodes are on there. So hit the subscribe button on YouTube as well.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. It's fun to watch these episodes as a video. So go check it out on YouTube. Yes. So let's dive in.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, the many definitions. So number one is kind of this one that we've already been discussing.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'll read this.

[Podcast Announcer]

Good enough.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or acceptable, not amazing. I like this, but meets minimum expectations.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

And I've definitely seen some films that I would describe as decent or. Right. If something I'm like, it was all right, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone, then I would describe it as decent.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Yep. So, for example, the restaurant wasn't fancy, but the food was decent.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. This is interesting. You're not saying it was amazing and you'd five stars recommend it to everyone, but it wasn't terrible. Like, the food was decent. Right. Or I got a decent score on the exam. Not great, but not bad either. Like, you probably passed if you're saying. Saying your score was decent, but it certainly wasn't like a hundred percent.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, yes. So, yeah, this is a really useful definition of this word. And just so our listeners know, decent is spelled D, E, C, E, N, T. So.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, exactly. No, and this is tricky because if you add an S, we have the word descent, which is pronounced differently, spelled slightly differently. I could see that confusing people. But yes, this has a.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's if you have sc. Right. That's descent. So the second one, let's get into it, is respectable or reliable. So honest, moral, having integrity. And we use this a lot to describe people who have good character.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And it is a more positive connotation here. If you say, for example, he seems like a decent guy. It's like, I'm not saying he's just barely passable. Like, this means he's a good person. He's reliable, honest, has integrity. So it's really strange. I can see this being what. What the other reason students are maybe using decent incorrectly as an adjective to describe, like, a film. Because when we use it to describe a person, it's very positive. If someone's decent, they're like, they have high morals. You know, the good integrity. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or she helped her elderly neighbor with his yard work, which was really. Which was a really decent thing to do.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it was like kind. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thoughtful.

[Aubrey Carter]

So, yeah, really interesting how different those definitions are. Or our third means, like, proper or appropriate. Often this is about modesty. Or it might mean presentable or appropriately dressed. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Huh?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You could say, don't come in, I'm not decent. Right. So you might not even be wearing clothes.

[Aubrey Carter]

You might not have any clothes on. Right, Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or so. Or if somebody knocks on the door, they might say, are you decent? Like, can I come in?

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. And often that means, are you clothed at all? But then we'll also use this to mean I'm not dressed appropriately. Right. If you're like in sweats and you need to go outside, you'd be like, let me put something on. I'm not decent. It just means, like, I'm not dressed to go out.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, right, right, exactly. And then let's get into. The last one we're gonna share is fairly large or a respectable amount. So this is used to describe an amount or quantity that is not small.

[Aubrey Carter]

Such a different meaning. It's so strange that we have the exact same word to me. Why couldn't we come up with another word?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I don't know.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's really weird. So, for example, we had a decent number of people show up to the event. So this means, like, it was quite a few. Right. It wasn't like nobody showed up. We were really disappointed by the numbers. We would use this to mean, like, yeah, it was a decent number. Like, they're, you know, this was not small. Not just a few people.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or they drove a decent distant distance before stopping. So not quite a bit. Not a. Yeah, yeah. Pretty. Yeah, Like a. Like a good portion.

[Aubrey Carter]

Several hours, maybe. I wouldn't go 30 minutes and be like, I drove a decent distance if I have like a 15 hour drive in front of me.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, Right. Although it is relative. Like, let's say your child is learning to drive and, you know, for them 30 minutes, it's like, okay, yeah, he drove a decent amount. Like, right.

[Aubrey Carter]

They're practicing. That'd be a lot for them. Good point. Yeah. So it's interesting how this will, like, your tone will change this a little bit, whether it's positive or negative. Because imagine with this first one, if you were expecting thousands of people, it's like a fundraiser event and maybe half the amount come that you want. If you're like, yeah, we had a decent number and it's not that positive. My tone kind of indicates that, like, you know, there are quite a few people, but, like, I would have preferred more.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. That's really interesting. But if you were. If you said if you did have a lot show up, you could say, oh, we had a decent number of people show up to the events. So that's a different tone.

[Aubrey Carter]

It sounds like you were happy about the number. This is really.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I. I like this topic, Aubrey. This is a good one. I'm glad we're talking about this.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes.

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Aubrey Carter]

All right, Michelle, let's do a role play to use all of these different meanings of decent. You are picking me up to give me a ride to the airport in this roleplay. Thank you, Michelle. So kind of you.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Well, you are very welcome. I am not letting you spend money on an Uber.

[Aubrey Carter]

No, right. Such a good friend. Especially if it's early in the morning. I've done this. I've offered a ride and they're like, okay, we need to leave at 4. I'm like, if I had been like, never mind.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, it's hilarious.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, let's just start here. I'll start us out. Oh, I like your jacket.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thanks. I got it on sale for a decent price, too.

[Aubrey Carter]

Amazing. You've always been good at finding a deal. Thanks for picking me up, by the way. That was really decent of you.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No problem. Are you ready?

[Aubrey Carter]

Just need to change. So I look decent. I spilled coffee on this shirt a minute ago.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, gotcha.

[Podcast Announcer]

Hurry, though.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's a decent drive to the airport from here.

[Aubrey Carter]

Nice. Ed, it's so interesting how it doesn't even sound strange to use decent so many times in this one conversation because they have all. There's all these different meanings. It's weird that it's even the same word.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right? That's true.

[Aubrey Carter]

It.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I. I don't know that I would do it that many times. It has different definitions. These are all different contexts. But, yeah, I still think we would want to vary what we say.

[Aubrey Carter]

But that's true. Right. We're using them on purpose in this role play. But if I had just said, so I look decent, you'd probably say, oh, it's a long drive to the airport. So let's say I wouldn't say it's a decent drive.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, Right. It just might be a little overkill. But you are right that they have different. Totally different definition, so hardly notice. Right, True.

[Aubrey Carter]

So you first said, I got Adam saying, I like your jacket. You say, I got it on sale for a decent price. So this is like, you know, good enough. Acceptable for the highest price. A fair price.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yeah. And then you said, thanks for picking me up, by the way. That was really decent of you. So. Showing my good character. I'm very nice. What can I tell you?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Right. Thoughtful, kind. That was really decent of you. And this is interesting. I likely would say to A friend instead. Like, thoughtful, kind. One of these words, decent, does mean this. We might use this more often. The. The example about helping, like, an elderly neighbor with the landscaping. This kind of thing where we're thinking of it more as going above and beyond. Right. Then we'd maybe say, like, oh, he's such a decent guy. He's always just doing really decent things. Things.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, Right. I'm imagining almost you're talking to somebody. You want to set them up on a date with somebody, and you could say, like, he's really decent. Like, he's, you know.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Describing their character.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's how I would imagine it. And then I, like this. Just need to change so I look decent. I spilled coffee on this shirt a minute ago. Right. So you're saying, so I looked acceptable even to go to the airport, or you don't want to be having coffee all over yourself.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. That is like, you've got this shirt stained with coffee. Be like, oh, I don't look decent. Let me. Because it means not just, like, clothed at all, but also, like, appropriate for the occasion. Clean clothing. Right. So I'd have to.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. And I think I. I actually think that that's kind of the distinction here.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

If you say I'm not decent. Right. That almost sounds like you're not wearing clothes. But if you're talking about, so I look decent. To look decent is different than to be decent.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's a good point. When it's collocated with look, you're talking more about like, my clothing isn't appropriate or it's not clean if I don't look decent. Or maybe I haven't done my hair and my makeup. I don't look decent. Don't take a photograph of me. But then that chunk of I'm not decent, that might mean I'm not dressed at all. Like, don't come in. I'm not decent. Might mean I just got out of the shower and I'm not dressed at all.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm in my towel, whatever, you know? Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

And then the last one, you said it's a decent drive to the airport, which would mean it's pretty far.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Pretty far. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. This is a very interesting word. And I'm still thinking of my dad this whole episode. Dad, this one goes out to you.

[Aubrey Carter]

I love that. This. I can see how this really could cause a misunderstanding.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

If you describe something as decent when you mean it was fantastic, it was really good. But I can definitely see how that's confusing because when you're describing a person as fantastic in that they have good moral character, we do use decent. So I'm glad we were able to dive into these details.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. And also, you know, as part of the takeaway, you also want to think about the tone of voice. Right. So that's also going to clue you in on what people are understanding. Like that example that we talked about of how many people showed up.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, it was a decent amount or oh yeah, we had a decent amount. So you have to really listen in for these things.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, the tone changes a lot depending on what exactly you mean by this word. Interesting.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. All right, Aubrey, this was really fun. And yeah, this is more than a decent episode.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. I would not call this episode decent. No, it was fantastic.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Aubrey Carter]

Awesome. Thanks, Michelle. I will see you next time. Have a great day.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, thanks.

[Aubrey Carter]

Bye.

[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

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