Decent
Decent adjective - Following the accepted rules of moral conduct.
Usage example: demanded nothing less than decent behavior by the troops serving overseas
Fair is a synonym for decent in satisfactory topic. In some cases you can use "Fair" instead an adjective "Decent", when it comes to topics like property, good, sufficient.
Fair
Fair adjective - Of average to below average quality.
Usage example: for what they charged us, the painters should have done better than a fair job of painting the house
Decent is a synonym for fair in good topic. You can use "Decent" instead an adjective "Fair", if it concerns topics such as character trait, reasonable, impartial, mediocre.
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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They serve evil and have negative views of the world, but are actually fair and decent rulers.
Source: Literature / Dragonlance -
He's cynical and brusque, and seems to exist only to mock Gantry and his fellow believers...but once Gantry is disgraced, he's the one man to be fair and decent to him.
Source: Literature / Elmer Gantry - Laughable in this case as all he is actually good at is making an entrance; though to be fair, it is never shown if he is a decent shot because he's yet to get one off.
Source: Combat Aestheticist
Cite this Source
Fair and Decent. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/decent/fair
Decent & Fair. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/decent/fair>.
Fair or Decent. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/decent/fair.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "decent" and "fair" have occurred on timeline