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 acknowledged the conduct, but denied inappropriate behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
"Those remarks should be taken very seriously, and they are certainly utterly inappropriate," Petrovic said.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Complaining to HR that “so-and-so earns more than me” felt inappropriate, but a $15,000 gap seems huge.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Shinsegae, the conglomerate that owns the majority stake in the coffee chain, apologised for "inappropriate marketing" and fired the chain's chief executive Sohn Jeong-hyun.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
I asked, thinking of his tendency to say inappropriate things.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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.
