Respectabele

Respectabele is a Dutch adjective meaning "respectable" or "worthy of respect." It is used to describe people, institutions, or qualities that are considered reputable or admirable. The form respectabele is the attributive inflected variant that appears directly before a noun, as in een respectabele reputatie or een respectabele leeftijd, while the base form of the adjective is respectabel. The word is common in formal or written Dutch, and it can apply to both social standing and moral conduct.

Etymology and related forms: Respectabele derives from the root respectabel, which comes from the French respectabilité and ultimately the Latin respectabilis. The related English cognate is respectable, and English-speaking readers sometimes encounter the Dutch term in translated or bilingual texts.

Usage and nuance: Respectabele typically conveys a positive evaluation, signaling credibility, legitimacy, or social esteem. In some contexts it can carry a neutral or slightly formal tone, and like related terms it may appear in discussions of reputation, propriety, or social status. It is distinct from stronger or more moral judgments that might be carried by terms with more emphatic connotations.

See also: Respectability; respectable; respectabel (the base form in Dutch). In broader linguistic discussions, the word is often linked to concepts of social standing, credibility, and moral reputation.