impropriety
Americannoun
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improprieties
plural
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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
Noun Inflected 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.
See Examples For:
Wring your hands, if you must, over the impropriety of the U.S.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
This last-minute legitimization would later allow Sand to legally inherit her father’s estate; it also established the uneasy balance between respectability and impropriety that would come to dominate her life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In June 2025, weekly newsletter Air Mail published accusations of impropriety against Leto by nine women, which he denied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Ministerial ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus said he had "allowed a perception of impropriety to develop" and "failed to uphold the standards expected in the rules".
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
In part, people accused her of impropriety because she shared her home with both her husband and her ex-husband.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
A wide-ranging probe by the department’s internal watchdog is scrutinizing potential improprieties in the contracting process, including evidence of personal enrichment by top officials, report Tarini Parti, Josh Dawsey, Michelle Hackman and Summer Said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
This was in response to Scottish government officials receiving a whistleblowing report in June, claiming "financial/procurement improprieties" involving a director.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
The dramatic move came after a wide-ranging audit of UFLAC’s finances revealed different kinds of financial improprieties.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2025
He’d been ousted from the Bears club, presumably because of the financial improprieties, and now he was coaching an adult group, called a masters team, on the university campus.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024
On the departure of his son he began to detect mismanagement in his affairs, and improprieties in the conduct of his family: he was very talkative, and became impatient to return home.
From Observations on Madness and Melancholy Including Practical Remarks on those Diseases together with Cases and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on Dissection by John Haslam
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.
