propriety Hear it!

propriety Definition

pro·pri·ety (prə prīə tē, prō-)

noun pl. -·ties

  1. the quality of being proper, fitting, or suitable; fitness
  2. conformity with what is proper or fitting
  3. conformity with accepted standards of proper manners or behavior
  4. Archaic
    1. peculiar or proper nature or state
    2. a peculiarity
  5. Obsolete private property

Etymology: ME propriete < OFr proprieté: see property

propriety Idioms

the proprieties

accepted standards of behavior in polite society

propriety Synonyms

propriety

n.

  1. Suitability

    aptness, suitability, advisability, accordance, agreeableness, recommendability, compatibility, correspondence, consonance, seemliness, appropriateness, congruity, modesty, good breeding, dignity, concord, harmony, expedience, convenience, pleasantness, welcomeness; see also fitness 1.

    Antonyms inconsistency*, incongruity, inappropriateness.

  2. Conventional conduct

    decorum, good manners, good behavior, correctness; see behavior 1, decorum. See syn. study at decorum.

propriety Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • ensure: This is a basic criteria for all client accounts to ensure the utmost propriety in completion of our role.
  • consider: This article considers the propriety of inventing a third category of public policy.
  • question: Some people question the propriety of having editors on the Commission at all.
  • relax: Not only were they less severe on their sinful protagonists, but they could relax literary proprieties too.
  • doubt: We had no reason to doubt the propriety of the Respondents ' change of mind.
  • maintain: Obtaining good value for money and maintaining propriety are key requirements from any procurement function.

Adjective modifier

  • constitutional: What if there is no space for the Bogside even yet within existing constitutional propriety?
  • procedural: Mr. Bercow: On the question of procedural propriety, I readily concede to the hon.
  • strict: According to strict propriety of speech, he never entered into it at all.
  • sexual: The Conservative party has lately been annexing the state of sexual propriety, as a core step on the 20-year path back to power.
  • literary: Not only were they less severe on their sinful protagonists, but they could relax literary proprieties too.
  • financial: His role, however, is to focus on financial propriety rather than political propriety, which are very different things.

Modifies a noun

  • software: The use of propriety software can limit the application designers to the paradigms set by the designers of the software.
  • right: Use of the site does not give you any propriety rights in such materials.
  • issue: Previous knowledge of local government and especially ethical and propriety issues would be an advantage.

Noun used with modifier

  • gender: And, last, ' genius ' means a betrayal of gender propriety too.

Preposition: in

  • life: Its task was to recommend measures to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.

Preposition: of

  • website: PropRT makes no representations as to the security, quality or propriety of any website which may be accessed through PropRT's Website.
  • decision: First, as has been shown, the honest belief in the propriety of a decision is itself fundamental to its lawfulness.
  • action: I shall argue about the propriety of this action at a later stage.
propriety Quotes

He could not have invented his own ruin, Had he despaired, with more propriety.

—Webster,John

A propriety of thoughts and words; or, in other terms, thought and words elegantly adapted to the subject.

—Dryden,John