propriety

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-tee] / prəˈpraɪ ɪ ti /

noun

plural

proprieties

1. conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.

   Synonyms:

   modesty, decency

2. appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.

   Synonyms:

   seemliness, fitness, aptness

3. rightness or justness.

   Synonyms:

   correctness

4. the proprieties, the conventional standards of proper behavior; manners.

   to observe the proprieties.

5. Obsolete. a property.

6. Obsolete. a peculiarity or characteristic of something.

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propriety British  

/ prəˈpraɪətɪ /

noun

1. the quality or state of being appropriate or fitting

2. conformity to the prevailing standard of behaviour, speech, etc

3. (plural) the standards of behaviour considered correct by polite society

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Related Words

See etiquette.

Other Word Forms

• nonpropriety
  noun

Etymology

Origin of propriety

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English propriete “ownership, something owned, one's own nature” (compare variant proprete property ), from Middle French propriété, from Latin proprietāt-, stem of proprietās “peculiarity, ownership,” equivalent to propri(us) proper + -etās, variant, after vowels, of -itās -ity

Explanation

Propriety is following what is socially acceptable in speech and behavior. Your little brother might offend your sense of propriety by burping loudly at the dinner table. Propriety is like the noun form of "proper" and "appropriate." It comes from the same root as the word property, in the sense of "a distinctive character or quality." The opposite of propriety is impropriety, meaning "rude or inappropriate." If you're someone who is overly concerned with propriety, your friends beg you to loosen up now and then.

Example Sentences

Jess Sargeant, who previously worked for think tank Labour Together, has been appointed as deputy director in the Cabinet Office's Propriety and Constitution Group.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2024

Propriety and protocol prevented us from exchanging a single word.

From The Guardian • Mar. 19, 2017

And how can the Radchaai reconcile their values of “Justice, Propriety, and Benefit” with their legacy of slavery and exploitation?

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2015

Propriety demanded she let it go to voice mail.

From BusinessWeek • Aug. 1, 2013

Propriety reigns everywhere with a strict stern rule; women and servants speak low, children kiss their parents' hands, the master of the house calls his wife "ma ch�re," and uses other French phrases.

From Pictures of German Life in the XVth XVIth and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. I. by Freytag, Gustav

Related Words

• correctness
• decorum
• legitimacy
• morality
• rectitude
• respectability
• suitability