proprietary
Americanadjective
-
belonging to a proprietor.
-
being a proprietor; holding property.
the proprietary class.
-
pertaining to property or ownership.
proprietary wealth.
-
belonging or controlled as property.
-
(of a brand name, product, service, formula, etc.) protected by a patent, copyright, or trademark.
proprietary drugs; a proprietary name; a proprietary logo; a proprietary blend of ingredients.
-
privately owned and operated for profit.
proprietary hospitals.
noun
-
proprietaries
plural
-
an owner or proprietor.
-
a body of proprietors.
-
American History. the grantee or owner, or one of the grantees or owners, of a proprietary colony.
-
something owned, especially real estate.
-
a proprietary medicine.
-
Also called proprietary school. a school organized as a profit-making venture primarily to teach vocational skills or self-improvement techniques.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or belonging to property or proprietors
-
privately owned and controlled
-
med of or denoting a drug or agent manufactured and distributed under a trade name Compare ethical
noun
-
med a proprietary drug or agent
-
a proprietor or proprietors collectively
-
-
right to property
-
property owned
-
-
Also called: lord proprietary. (in Colonial America) an owner, governor, or grantee of a proprietary colony
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of proprietary
1400–50; late Middle English (noun) < Medieval Latin proprietārius owner, noun use of Late Latin: of an owner, of ownership. See propriety, -ary
Explanation
If you own something, especially something of value, then you have proprietary rights. The word is most often used in relation to new inventions or patents. Proprietary refers to property: things that are owned by individuals or businesses. People talk about proprietary drugs, proprietary software, and other things that can only be made and sold by those who discovered or created them. A proprietary claim is usually protected by trademark or copyright. When you say you have a proprietary right to something you're saying to everyone else: "Hands off! This is mine." Years ago, owners of small mom-and-pop stores were known as proprietors.
Vocabulary lists containing proprietary
The Great Gatsby
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chapter 1, Sections 1–3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The filings involve the unauthorized use of copyrighted material such as “audiovisual content, artwork, images, dialogue, or other creative elements” from proprietary software owned by Take-Two, according to the documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
They’ve paid a visit to the Hybe headquarters in Seoul, collaborated with bands like Le Sserafim and BoyNextDoor and livestreamed to fans via Hybe’s proprietary social platform Weverse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the U.S., drivers are making fewer trips to gas stations, analysts at Jefferies said in a recent note, with foot traffic down about 4% year over year, they said, citing proprietary data.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Otherwise, the company said, customers use proprietary models primarily from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
At a proprietary yank from one of the little cousins, Yolanda lets herself be led to the cake table, festive with a lacy white tablecloth and starched party napkins.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Though Evergreen bought Intermountain Aviation, one of Doole's CIA "proprietaries," in 1975, the company insists that it has had nothing further to do with the agency.
From Time Magazine Archive
With the spread of the influenza epidemic pernicious drug vendors cried new merits for their proprietaries.
From Time Magazine Archive
The proprietaries justified their conduct as well as they could, and I the Assembly's.
From Franklin's Autobiography (Eclectic English Classics) by Benjamin Franklin
The proprietaries were dissatisfied with the concessions made in favour of the people, and made great struggles to recover the privilege of exempting their estates from taxation, which they had been induced to give up.
From Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin; Written by Himself. [Vol. 1 of 2] With His Most Interesting Essays, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings; Familiar, Moral, Political, Economical, and Philosophical by Benjamin Franklin
We bought some old cannon from Boston, but, these not being sufficient, we wrote to England for more, soliciting at the same time our proprietaries for some assistance, though without much expectation of obtaining it.
From Franklin's Autobiography (Eclectic English Classics) by Benjamin Franklin
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.
