appropriate
Americanadjective
-
suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc..
an appropriate example;
an appropriate dress.
- Antonyms:
- inept, inappropriate, unsuitable
-
belonging to or peculiar to a person; proper.
Each played his appropriate part.
verb (used with object)
-
to set apart, authorize, or legislate for some specific purpose or use.
The legislature appropriated funds for the university.
-
to take to or for oneself; take possession of.
-
to take without permission or consent; seize; expropriate.
He appropriated the trust funds for himself.
-
to steal, especially to commit petty theft.
adjective
-
right or suitable; fitting
-
rare particular; own
they had their appropriate methods
verb
-
to take for one's own use, esp illegally or without permission
-
to put aside (funds, etc) for a particular purpose or person
Other Word Forms
- appropriable adjective
- appropriately adverb
- appropriateness noun
- appropriative adjective
- appropriativeness noun
- appropriator noun
- nonappropriative adjective
- quasi-appropriate adjective
- reappropriate verb (used with object)
- well-appropriated adjective
Etymology
Origin of appropriate
First recorded in 1515–25; from Late Latin appropriātus “made one's own” (past participle of appropriāre ), equivalent to Latin ap- ap- 1 + propri(us) “one's own, special, particular” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
A notice taped outside one door says unauthorized entry is prohibited: “This includes all federal law enforcement personnel and activities unless authorized by lawful written direction from appropriate school officials or a valid court order.”
From Los Angeles Times
"People have the right to protect their properties - which we understand - but it's a fine balance between what is humane and appropriate," she added.
From BBC
“In this situation, the only prescription from the monetary policy side is to raise the policy interest rate in a timely and appropriate manner.”
"Feminism often seeks to appropriate signs that, socially and culturally, were long reserved for men, in order to assert -- or even visually normalise -- the fact that a woman can wield power and lead," she explained.
From Barron's
Warsh said the asset-buying policy, which came to be known as quantitative easing, was an appropriate emergency measure but needed to be reversed once the crisis passed.
From Barron's
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.
