inappropriate
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inappropriate
First recorded in 1795–1805; in- 3 + appropriate
Explanation
The word "appropriate" means correct or proper and since the little prefix "in" turns its meaning around, something inappropriate is considered not proper or suitable. Nowadays, it seems, anything goes. Yet good manners and standards prevail, and some things are simply inappropriate — such as taking a toddler to a violent movie, or making jokes at someone else's expense. You wouldn't show your future father-in-law naked pictures of his daughter or wear a bathing suit to a state dinner. Those actions are simply inappropriate.
Vocabulary lists containing inappropriate
Fish in a Tree
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Nothing But the Truth
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Game Changer
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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.
He said it would be inappropriate to second-guess the CEO’s direction “as other consultants in other Authority offices are learning the hard way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
She was also found to have been repeatedly untruthful in her dealings with friends and colleagues, and was noted by patients to have been "inappropriate" and "callous" in her manner.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
CMS has said it protects against inappropriate denials by linking vendors’ payments to quality scores that take into account the timeliness and accuracy of decisions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
A Wall Street Journal investigation earlier this year found that YouTube is inescapable in the American classroom, with some students exposed to hundreds of frequently inappropriate videos during school hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
She showed me evidence of yet another time the department officials met to discuss the inappropriate discipline in the Moss foster home.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
