propriety

[ pruh-prahy-i-tee ]

/ prəˈpraɪ ɪ ti /

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See synonyms for: propriety / proprieties on Thesaurus.com

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

1 decency, modesty.

2 aptness, fitness, seemliness.

3 correctness.

See synonyms for propriety on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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, propriety

Words nearby propriety

proprietary colony, proprietary name, proprietor, proprietress, proprietrix, propriety, proprio-, proprioception, proprioceptive, proprioceptor, proprio motu

How to use propriety in a sentence

Then they stacked those pancakes together and connected them with propriety joints, creating a 10-ton, eight-foot-tall, D-shaped supermagnet, packed with 165 miles of superconducting tape coiled around 256 times.
A hole in the ground could be the future of fusion power|James Temple|February 23, 2022|MIT Technology Review
He put officers in uniforms, he stressed safety and efficiency, and he preached the twin virtues of public safety and police propriety.
What Are the Police for, Anyway? (Ep. 476)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 23, 2021|Freakonomics
No other part or the propriety of the transaction itself is even in question.
Housing Commissioners Disavow Agency Response to Conflict Revelations|Andrew Keatts|May 21, 2021|Voice of San Diego
In an interview this week, Egeland strongly defended the propriety of delivering aid to unwholesome parts of northern Syria.
Why Humanitarians Talk to ISIS|Joshua Hersh|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Presidents and potential presidents have often been accused of crossing some line of propriety.
Yes, Lincoln Would Have Done ‘Between Two Ferns’|Jeff Greenfield|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Weather Underground, while we certainly crossed lines of propriety and legality, we never killed or injured anybody.
Exclusive: Bill Ayers On the Weathermen, Obama’s Crap Job & More|Marlow Stern|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But for the conservatives, and for Scalia most of all, legal propriety is absurdly quaint.
Michael Tomasky on Antonin Scalia, the Lawless Supreme Court Justice|Michael Tomasky|June 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Walking up to the edge of propriety and stepping over the line are all a rite of passage to self-definition.
Hoodies, Trayvon Martin, and America’s Racial Fears|Robin Givhan|March 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They shall plan how this may be done with due propriety, and shall advise us of their action.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
I do it, persuaded of the propriety of the step, and satisfied that all will go well with him yet.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Further questions respecting her family, &c., were answered with equal directness and propriety, and with manifest truth.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Without having represented to your husband the propriety of first consulting his father, on whom he is dependent, I think?
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Whatever argument can be employed to establish the propriety of engaging vocally in any religious service is here available.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

propriety

OTHER WORDS FOR propriety

Origin of propriety

synonym study for propriety

OTHER WORDS FROM propriety

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH propriety

Words nearby propriety

Words related to propriety

How to use propriety in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propriety

Word Origin for propriety