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I'm looking for a word that I can use in my writings to describe a bar / pub that doesn't look like it would be a 'rough' place, i.e. one that isn't likely to instigate trouble. I was thinking of the word self-effacing but I think maybe that would be more descriptive of a person rather than a building. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Example usage would be:
"Maybe I'll go in here. It seems _______ enough."
Thank you!
Maybe I'll go in here. It seems decent enough.
"It seems decent enough"--11,000 Google results referring to various places and things, tangible and intangible, with more than one applicable meaning (see link above to ODO).
Locally, a fairly decent place would be used to describe a place that is somewhat modest but appropriate, i.e., fairly clean, moral, safe, etc. (US, SE Region).
As an alternative--low-key--a more youthful, less judgmental word, I think.
If you are looking for something that contrasts with rough or wild, I would use tame:
: reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : DOMESTICATED
// tame animals 2 : made docile and submissive : SUBDUED
If you really want something that describes only the outward appearance and not the people inside, then there are words like nondescript, bland, and neutral. Or possibly classy or upscale, if you are putting a value judgment on appearance.
But, then, I wouldn't say that rough describes only outward appearance either. Instead, I would use something like garish to describe the outward appearance. (Otherwise, smooth is the antonym of rough in its purely descriptive sense—when it comes only to the building's physical appearance.)
I am going to suggest
pleasant
ADJECTIVE
1 Giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment.‘a very pleasant evening’
1.1 (of a person or their manner) friendly and considerate; likeable.
‘they found him pleasant and cooperative’
"Maybe I'll go in here. It seems pleasant enough."
This would be said after having walked past a few places that were completely unsuitable, and you are now getting a bit beyond caring about finding the perfect place.
EDIT: I had originally said pleasant was damning with faint praise but after a comment and a v. quick google I can find nobody who backs me up.
But pleasant is a very low level compliment. It comes far below exciting, great, fun, entertaining, fabulous, awesome.
Mum: "how was the afternoon at grandmas?" Teenager: "It was pleasant enough"
Means that it wasn't awful, you didn't spend the entire afternoon looking at your watch waiting for it to end. Some of it was even enjoyable.
(ok honestly a teenager would never say this but it was just to give an extra sense of the way the word would be said)
When the speaker uses the word "rough", are they thinking of a place where they see a risk that they'd get into trouble? Then perhaps an appropriate word is safe.
Civilized.
From Merriam-Webster:
characteristic of a state of civilization especially: characterized by taste, refinement, or restraint
This carries exactly the connotation you desire, indicating the place lacks the ill manner and danger of a "rough" bar, and instead it exudes a more peaceable mood.
Used in your example sentence where it's qualified by "enough," it carries a tone of dissatisfaction, implying the place doesn't really live up to the speaker's standards, but they will accept it anyway. Some listeners may perceive this as haughty if their standards are lower. But since your example sentence already includes "enough," that appears to be the impression you intended to leave.
"Maybe I'll go in here. It seems civilized enough."
This evaluation can easily be made by looking on from the outside, as the building's structure and decoration will give an onlooker an impression of the establishment's intended atmosphere.
Credits: I actually though of this on my own, but I'd be remiss if I didn't credit the two comments already mentioning this word:
The first by Eric Nolan
The second by Arluin
Innocuous would be my pick, as in:
Some mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact poisonous.
[Source: Cambridge Dictionary]
I’d go with “respectable” or “harmless” enough to indicate it’s higher on the safe scale. “Friendly” is better to describe a place that has a good chance of a positive personal interaction rather than a safe environment.
I would go with genteel or gentrified (derived).
From Merriam-Webster:
: maintaining or striving to maintain the appearance of superior or middle-class social status or respectability
"friendly" can be used to describe places and things as well as people. Some dictionaries I've seen give "a friendly greeting" as examples, so I've compared greeting, place and person on Google NGram.
I'm guessing when people say "a friendly place" they implicitly mean a safe environment where they wouldn't feel anything threatening or disreputable occurring, eg., outbreak of violence, shady activity, eg., drug dealing, street-walking etc. In other words, somewhere you wouldn't hesitate to take your kids along to.
I definitely wouldn't use "friendly" to describe a rough neighborhood, and probably not for some dive bar, just generally speaking because of the clientele that patronize it. Even if I think my neighbors are great people or know some great people who frequent a bar, I still couldn't make myself call either "friendly" places if they are generally speaking rough places.
"Maybe I'll go in here. It seems friendly enough."
Note: As an afterthought I wondered whether certain places can be rife with illegal activity, say the ones I mentioned above, and still be a friendly environment. I suppose it can. By "rough" I'm unsure whether you just mean in terms of violence, of in terms of what most would consider disreputable activity, ie., illegal gambling, illicit drug consumption and dealing etc. I'm not sure whether you count these things under the umbrella term "rough". Some of these activities could be seen as leading to a higher likelihood of violence, and any place where violence is likely to occur isn't a friendly place in my opinion.
"Maybe I'll go in here. It seems peaceful enough."
Just because it hasn't been suggested yet, welcoming would probably be a good fit.
friendly and pleasant, especially to someone who has just arrived at a place
The people are all so friendly and welcoming.
It’s a traditional hotel with a welcoming atmosphere.
Alright
"Maybe I'll go in here; it seems alright."
This is genuine, ordinary, British English usage.
Meaning "mild", "harmless", "kind" or "gentle". Antonym to malign or malignant
The Oxford Dictionary entry includes this example:
‘I remember very well having the extraordinary sense that this place was very special - a benign and benevolent land.’
Safe
This fits the requirements precisely, because the opposite of rough is safe. To see this, consider the definition of rough:
(Collins) 3. adjective A rough area, city, school, or other place is unpleasant and dangerous because there is a lot of violence or crime there.
(freedictionary.com) 3c. Characterized by violence or crime: lives in a rough neighborhood.
And here's the definition of safe:
(freedictionary.com) 3. Affording protection: a safe place.
By appearance, you would probably be referring to the perceived "atmosphere" surrounding the place. The outer appearance might look "tranquil" enough.
"Maybe I'll go in here. It looks tranquil enough on the outside."
It depends on the tone you want. I might be tempted to use salubrious
favorable to or promoting health or well-being
More generally, you might find a thesaurus useful to find synonyms/antonyms, when you have a word in mind but it isn't quite right.
If, as you say, you're judging the place by its outside appearance, you could say
That place looks upscale enough.
There's a difference between upscale and upscale enough. A bar a step or two above a seedy dive might be "upscale enough" even though it is not "upscale".
pleasant and friendly; producing a feeling of comfort or satisfaction
It is in common usage and fits your context very well.
The first word that occurred was innocuous but we need a word that implied more than harmlessness so perhaps wholesome would fit better since it implies a healthy place to have a meal or drink
