proprietary

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-ter-ee] / prəˈpraɪ ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. belonging to a proprietor.

2. being a proprietor; holding property.

   the proprietary class.

3. pertaining to property or ownership.

   proprietary wealth.

4. belonging or controlled as property.

5. (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.

6. privately owned and operated for profit.

   proprietary hospitals.

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noun

plural

proprietaries

1. an owner or proprietor.

2. a body of proprietors.

3. American History. the grantee or owner, or one of the grantees or owners, of a proprietary colony.

4. ownership.

5. something owned, especially real estate.

6. a proprietary medicine.

7. Also called proprietary school.  a school organized as a profit-making venture primarily to teach vocational skills or self-improvement techniques.

proprietary British  

/ prəˈpraɪɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to property or proprietors

2. privately owned and controlled

3. med of or denoting a drug or agent manufactured and distributed under a trade name Compare ethical

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noun

1. med a proprietary drug or agent

2. a proprietor or proprietors collectively

3. 1. right to property

   2. property owned

4. Also called: lord proprietary.  (in Colonial America) an owner, governor, or grantee of a proprietary colony

Other Word Forms

• nonproprietary adjective
• proprietarily adverb

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

Example Sentences

Penney, Bloomingdale’s and proprietary stores in the same suburban shopping malls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The choices consist of stocks where the analysts believe they have “a differentiated view” based on proprietary data.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The mathematics are proprietary, but Hassibi said the effect was much like compressing a digital photograph without losing visual fidelity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Reflection offers open-source AI models, allowing free download and modification, contrasting with proprietary models from OpenAI and Google.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

His hold is proprietary and masculine, but he is not a good dancer.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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