propriety

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-tee] / prəˈpraɪ ɪ ti /

noun

• proprieties
  plural

1. conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.

   Synonyms:

   modesty, decency

2. appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.

   Synonyms:

   seemliness, fitness, aptness

3. rightness or justness.

   Synonyms:

   correctness

4. the proprieties, the conventional standards of proper behavior; manners.

   to observe the proprieties.

5. Obsolete. a property.

6. Obsolete. a peculiarity or characteristic of something.

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propriety British  

/ prəˈpraɪətɪ /

noun

1. the quality or state of being appropriate or fitting

2. conformity to the prevailing standard of behaviour, speech, etc

3. (plural) the standards of behaviour considered correct by polite society

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Synonym Usage

See etiquette.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpropriety
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• proprieties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of propriety

First recorded in 1425–75; 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

Explanation

Propriety is following what is socially acceptable in speech and behavior. Your little brother might offend your sense of propriety by burping loudly at the dinner table. Propriety is like the noun form of "proper" and "appropriate." It comes from the same root as the word property, in the sense of "a distinctive character or quality." The opposite of propriety is impropriety, meaning "rude or inappropriate." If you're someone who is overly concerned with propriety, your friends beg you to loosen up now and then.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propriety proprieties

And if vulgarity can still shock—and amuse—by working on our alarmed sense of propriety, then we still have a sense of propriety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Absurdist comedy, the kind that was Letterman’s, his “Late Night” successor Conan O’Brien’s and Colbert’s specialty, is the very soul of free speech because it pushes honesty and truth past mundane notions of propriety.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

For the sake of propriety — Paley was one of the 20th century’s most powerful media paschas — his indiscretions were kept quiet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

Does it reflect a schism within the military over its propriety?

From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025

She had cut the last thread of propriety.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

He was concerned that if he died intestate, his proprieties would not be passed to Li.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023

White says that the song was a declaration that the White Stripes weren’t going to observe punk proprieties.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 5, 2017

"I think the same same proprieties should have been followed as for Charles and Diana's wedding and that was that all former prime ministers should be invited."

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2011

But he could quickly drop into loner mode, shy away from company, rebuff unsought friendship, assert the middle-class proprieties he grew up with.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2011

Upon arrival in the Himalaya, Pittman appeared to adhere as closely as possible to the proprieties of high society.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• correctness
• decorum
• legitimacy
• morality
• rectitude
• respectability
• suitability