Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Not suited to circumstances or needs; unsuitable.
- adjective Not in keeping with conventional mores; indecorous: synonym: unseemly.
- adjective Not consistent with established truth, fact, or rule; incorrect.
- adjective Irregular or abnormal.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To impropriate.
- Not proper or peculiar to any individual; general; common.
- Not of a proper kind or quality; not adapted to or suitable for the purpose or the circumstances; unfit; unbecoming; indecorous: as, an improper medicine; an improper appointment; improper conduct or language.
- Not proper in form or method; not according to nature, truth, rule, or usage; abnormal; irregular; erroneous: as, improper development; improper fractions; improper pronunciation; an improper use of words.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not proper; not suitable; not fitted to the circumstances, design, or end; unfit; not becoming; incongruous; inappropriate; indecent
- adjective obsolete Not peculiar or appropriate to individuals; general; common.
- adjective Not according to facts; inaccurate; erroneous.
- adjective See under
Diphthong . - adjective an original feud, not earned by military service.
- adjective See under
Fraction . - transitive verb obsolete To appropriate; to limit.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
unsuitable toneeds orcircumstances ;inappropriate ;inapt - adjective Not in keeping with
conventional mores or goodmanners ;indecent orimmodest - adjective Not according to
facts ;inaccurate orerroneous - adjective Not
consistent with establishedfacts ;incorrect - adjective Not properly
named ; See, for example,improper fraction - verb obsolete, transitive To
appropriate ; tolimit . - verb obsolete To behave
improperly
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective not suitable or right or appropriate
- adjective not appropriate for a purpose or occasion
- adjective not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The sudden opening of the door aroused them to a sense of their improper situation; for who but must consider it _improper_ to find a young lady locked in the arms of a gentleman to whom she had just been introduced?
Alonzo and Melissa The Unfeeling Father Daniel Jackson
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In a tearful news conference, Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts a year for elementary schools in areas near the plant.
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Quantity and Quality, which are proper and intrinsic, and those in the other six categories, excluding Relation, which he calls improper and extrinsic.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius Marenbon, John 2005
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"They are what you call improper, eh?" she laughed, referring to the tales.
The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne : a Novel William John Locke 1896
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On Friday night, many marched to Police Headquarters to criticize what they described as the improper tactics that the police had used against their movement.
NYT > Home Page By N. R. KLEINFIELD 2011
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Government watchdogs in Harrisburg denounced what they called improper use of state resources and complained that the governor last week called the DUI arrest a personal matter.
The Goalkeeper 2011
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On Friday night, many marched to Police Headquarters to criticize what they described as the improper tactics that the police had used against their movement.
NYT > Home Page By N. R. KLEINFIELD 2011
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Attorneys for the second man charged with a deadly Connecticut home invasion want the location for his trial changed, citing prejudicial publicity from the first trial, and want the judge handling the case removed for what they call improper comments.
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On Friday night, many marched to Police Headquarters to criticize what they described as the improper tactics that the police had used against their movement.
NYT > Home Page By N. R. KLEINFIELD 2011
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On Friday night, many marched to Police Headquarters to criticize what they described as the improper tactics police used.
The Seattle Times 2011
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