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.
Hochman said Flores simply could have taken notes on the inappropriate comments and turned them in to superiors or the independent inspector general, which strikes me as either sweetly naive or disingenuous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
That episode, which aired in July, had already landed the PM in hot water because of "inappropriate" comments he made about popstar Kylie Minogue.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“While I understand that it is inappropriate and a crime to record colleagues without their consent, those charges certainly send the wrong message that calling out egregious behavior could land you in prison.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon -- whose National Party governs in a coalition with NZ First -- has condemned Peter's "inappropriate attention-seeking" comments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
It’s that he thought it was inappropriate in the midst of battle, where the uncertainties of war and the pressures of time made it impossible to compare options carefully and calmly.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
