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propriety
[ pruh-prahy-i-tee ]
/ prəˈpraɪ ɪ ti /
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noun, plural pro·pri·e·ties.
conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.
appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.
rightness or justness.
the proprieties, the conventional standards of proper behavior; manners: to observe the proprieties.
Obsolete. a property.
Obsolete. a peculiarity or characteristic of something.
OTHER WORDS FOR propriety
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Origin of propriety
First recorded in1425–75; late Middle English propriete “ownership, something owned, one's own nature” (compare variant proprete property), from Middle French propriété, from Latin proprietāt-, stem of proprietās “peculiarity, ownership,” equivalent to propri(us) proper + -etās, variant, after vowels, of -itās -ity
synonym study for propriety
1. See etiquette.
OTHER WORDS FROM propriety
non·pro·pri·e·ty, noun, plural non·pro·pri·e·ties.WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH propriety
probity, proprietyWords nearby propriety
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use propriety in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for propriety
propriety
/ (prəˈpraɪətɪ) /
noun plural -ties
the quality or state of being appropriate or fitting
conformity to the prevailing standard of behaviour, speech, etc
the proprieties (plural) the standards of behaviour considered correct by polite society
Word Origin for propriety
C15: from Old French propriété, from Latin proprietās a peculiarity, from proprius one's own
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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