impropriety
Americannoun
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the quality or condition of being improper; incorrectness.
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inappropriateness; unsuitableness.
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unseemliness; indecorousness.
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an erroneous or unsuitable expression, act, etc.
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an improper use of a word or phrase.
noun
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lack of propriety; indecency; indecorum
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an improper act or use
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the state of being improper
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impropriety
From the Late Latin word improprietās, dating back to 1605–15. See im- 2, propriety
Explanation
When the boss's husband shows up at a formal dinner party and proceeds to stuff his pockets full of hors d'oeuvres, no one dares to mention his impropriety above a whisper, especially to the boss. Impropriety is a violation of a rule of behavior, manners, or etiquette. So while it is fitting and proper to wear a bikini top and a sarong to the beach, to do so at church would be considered an impropriety. Some find a bit of impropriety charming. Somerset Maugham went so far as to say, “Impropriety is the soul of wit.”
Vocabulary lists containing impropriety
"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)
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Simply Scandalous!
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Copper Sun
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Impropriety and dishonesty by members of our State’s judiciary cause real harm to all South Carolinians.
From Fox News • Mar. 2, 2022
Impropriety was the alleged crime, and female ambition the real cause.
From Salon • Mar. 16, 2015
Hence much Confusion and Impropriety has attended, and embarras’d, the Business and Fable.
From Preface to the Works of Shakespeare (1734) by Dick, Hugh G.
Without date,525 Impropriety of a foreign Envoy engaging in the parties of the country where he resides.
From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IX by Sparks, Jared
From all which we may gather, that popular Opposition to a public Measure is no Proof of its Impropriety, even tho' the Opposition be excited and headed by Men of Distinction.
From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Jorgenson, Chester E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
