✅ Dependable means able to be relied on or trustworthy (a dependable friend).

✅ Sturdy means strong and robust (a sturdy football player).

✅ These words have slightly different meanings and are not usually used as synonyms but may be used together.

✅ Something that is sturdy, however, can also be dependable, especially when that thing is expected to last or withstand the elements (This brand is always dependable; The bench was very sturdy).

✅ Decorum refers to dignity and a sense of propriety or a sense of what is appropriate and proper (She behaved with decorum, even if all the rules made her feel silly).

✅ Gentility refers to affected politeness and a pretentious sense of good manners (His old-fashioned gentility was off-putting).

✅ Both of these words refer to attitudes and behaviors that suggest Western ideas of good manners and appropriateness.

✅ Gentility emphasizes politeness, whereas decorum emphasizes appropriate behavior.

✅ Practical describes something that has been designed for a purpose and is useful, or someone who prefers action and concrete, tangible work (The layout of the kitchen wasn’t very practical; She had a practical, no-nonsense approach).

✅ Businesslike describes someone who is efficient and realistic as well as practical (The doctor was calm and businesslike).

✅ Practical and businesslike describe similar approaches that center efficiency, being realistic, and focusing on action.

✅ Practical can describe people and things, whereas businesslike describes people, either individually or as a group (The builders were businesslike and straightforward).