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)
-
appropriates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appropriated,
past participle, past
-
appropriating
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
-
appropriatenessnoun
-
appropriativenessnoun
-
appropriatornoun
-
reappropriateverb (used with object)
-
appropriableadjective
-
appropriativeadjective
-
nonappropriativeadjective
-
quasi-appropriateadjective
-
well-appropriatedadjective
-
appropriatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
appropriatesimple
-
appropriatessimple
-
have appropriatedperfect
-
has appropriatedperfect
-
am appropriatingprogressive
-
are appropriatingprogressive
-
is appropriatingprogressive
-
have been appropriatingperfect progressive
-
has been appropriatingperfect progressive
Past
-
appropriatedsimple
-
had appropriatedperfect
-
was appropriatingprogressive
-
were appropriatingprogressive
-
had been appropriatingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Something appropriate is correct and fits the situation. A sweater-vest with reindeer on it is appropriate holiday apparel, even if it's totally embarrassing. The adjective appropriate is used when something is suitable or fitting. It comes from the Latin appropriare, which means "to make something fit, to make something one's own." Going back even further, appropriate is related to the Latin word proprius, "to belong to a person, thing, or group." Another appropriate way to use this word is as a verb, meaning to steal or seize something, the way you'd appropriate your sister's sandwich if she left it sitting near you.
Vocabulary lists containing appropriate
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 1-10
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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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.
See Examples For:
World Horse Welfare recommends to all prospective buyers to view the horse in person, get it checked by your own vet and ride - if appropriate.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Scientists would also need to establish an appropriate dose that provides benefits safely while minimizing the risk of harmful interactions with other medications.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
For analysts at Equita, an investment bank, del Vecchio's exit "re-establishes a practice of separating ownership and management" within EssilorLuxottica, "which seems appropriate at this stage of tensions in Delfin's governance".
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
“The workers were not fed properly, the shelter that they gave them was not appropriate, and many times workers were injured,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Small gobbets of meat, such as chicken livers, are particularly appropriate.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Quite the opposite, the best the majority could come up with is that “Congress would have ample means to stop that abuse, including, for example through the annual appropriates process.”
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Reed included the language in a dedicated subsection of the Senate report accompanying the bill, which appropriates the money that funds the activities of the State Department among other priorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
On the other hand, it allocates — or appropriates — money to carry out those policies.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
Among billions of dollars appropriated for semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research, the act appropriates $32.5 million to combat sex-based harassment in STEM.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 10, 2023
These pretty verses had been addressed, many years before, by Voltaire, to Adrienne Lecouvreur; and the Marshal not only coolly appropriates them, but adds insult to injury by calling them "rhymed prose"!
From Queens of the French Stage by H. Noel Williams
Every dollar appropriated, he added, would be used to build the "lethality" of US military forces and "reinforce peace through strength".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We are currently planning to obligate all appropriated balances, consistent with law.”
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
AFP found some of the pottery products first appeared in content from real creators, before being appropriated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
We’re asking agencies to honor what Congress appropriated and President Trump affirmed: that federally funded research is the foundation of American competitiveness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Already the other women with her, the blonde in the short pink bed jacket with the tatty fur trim, has been appropriated, has entered the glass elevator, has ascended out of sight.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Seventeen years ago, Stockett published “The Help,” and some objected to her, as a white woman, appropriating Black speech patterns and cultural themes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
To Palantir’s old guard, the FDE remains as deeply misunderstood as ever, despite its newfound fame — a role that rivals are culturally appropriating while ignoring the often grueling engineering process it entails.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
Historically, it’s been appropriating funds and making laws, ostensibly through negotiation between various voting blocs and ideological groups.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2024
Liu pushed back against the entrepreneurs, accusing them of appropriating the Taiwanese drink, known as boba or bubble tea, which has became popular around the world.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
By appropriating the language of genes and inheritance, entire systems of power and statehood were justified and reinforced.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
