appropriate
Americanadjective
-
suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc..
an appropriate example;
an appropriate dress.
- Antonyms:
- inept, inappropriate, unsuitable
-
belonging to or peculiar to a person; proper.
Each played his appropriate part.
verb (used with object)
-
to set apart, authorize, or legislate for some specific purpose or use.
The legislature appropriated funds for the university.
-
to take to or for oneself; take possession of.
-
to take without permission or consent; seize; expropriate.
He appropriated the trust funds for himself.
-
to steal, especially to commit petty theft.
adjective
-
right or suitable; fitting
-
rare particular; own
they had their appropriate methods
verb
-
to take for one's own use, esp illegally or without permission
-
to put aside (funds, etc) for a particular purpose or person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
appropriatenessnoun
-
appropriativenessnoun
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appropriatornoun
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reappropriateverb (used with object)
-
appropriableadjective
-
appropriativeadjective
-
nonappropriativeadjective
-
quasi-appropriateadjective
-
well-appropriatedadjective
-
appropriatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
appropriatesimple
-
appropriatessimple
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have appropriatedperfect
-
has appropriatedperfect
-
am appropriatingprogressive
-
are appropriatingprogressive
-
is appropriatingprogressive
-
have been appropriatingperfect progressive
-
has been appropriatingperfect progressive
Past
-
appropriatedsimple
-
had appropriatedperfect
-
was appropriatingprogressive
-
were appropriatingprogressive
-
had been appropriatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appropriate
First recorded in 1515–25; from Late Latin appropriātus “made one's own” (past participle of appropriāre ), equivalent to Latin ap- ap- 1 + propri(us) “one's own, special, particular” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Something appropriate is correct and fits the situation. A sweater-vest with reindeer on it is appropriate holiday apparel, even if it's totally embarrassing. The adjective appropriate is used when something is suitable or fitting. It comes from the Latin appropriare, which means "to make something fit, to make something one's own." Going back even further, appropriate is related to the Latin word proprius, "to belong to a person, thing, or group." Another appropriate way to use this word is as a verb, meaning to steal or seize something, the way you'd appropriate your sister's sandwich if she left it sitting near you.
Vocabulary lists containing appropriate
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 1-10
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We take copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The Fed, which was once navigating the appropriate time to possibly lower interest rates, is now increasingly focused on more inflation risks, such as higher energy prices and demand driven by artificial intelligence investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
I know it’s been months, but I do have faith that you will find a job if you consistently apply for roles that are an appropriate fit.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The reviews will examine whether the hardware and software meet performance requirements and whether appropriate hazard controls are in place.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
I stare at Colin, trying to find appropriate words.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Quite the opposite, the best the majority could come up with is that “Congress would have ample means to stop that abuse, including, for example through the annual appropriates process.”
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
We want to ensure that funding is available, that Congress appropriates the right amount, and that states can operate their programs as needed to provide WIC services.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2024
Reed included the language in a dedicated subsection of the Senate report accompanying the bill, which appropriates the money that funds the activities of the State Department among other priorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
On the other hand, it allocates — or appropriates — money to carry out those policies.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
The Park superintendent wants me to show ’em around the circuit a bit—have to be nice to congressmen, because Congress appropriates what little money we get to build trails with.
From Boy Scouts in Glacier Park The Adventures of Two Young Easterners in the Heart of the High Rockies by Eaton, Walter Prichard
Every dollar appropriated, he added, would be used to build the "lethality" of US military forces and "reinforce peace through strength".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The funds for the sculpture were appropriated by Congress, and lawmakers declared it complete in 1941 shortly after his death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
“We are not withholding any funds appropriated to, or available to, State,” they said.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
Gen. Rob Bonta — and has requested $35 million in state funds to educate voters on any new midterm deadlines, though that funding has not been appropriated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
When the nobles appropriated the commons, they created a peasant class that had little choice but to work for the landowners.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
To Palantir’s old guard, the FDE remains as deeply misunderstood as ever, despite its newfound fame — a role that rivals are culturally appropriating while ignoring the often grueling engineering process it entails.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
China-born Canadian actor Simu Liu, who appeared as the show’s “first celebrity Dragon,” took issue with the business, accusing the founders of culturally appropriating bubble tea.
From Salon ● May 17, 2025
"The internet has made it possible for content to reach spaces and people it was not organically playing to. Unthinkingly appropriating content can have unexpected consequences," she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
Historically, it’s been appropriating funds and making laws, ostensibly through negotiation between various voting blocs and ideological groups.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2024
Kether, who was keen on appropriating that technology, too, said sagely, “If anything’s certain, it’s that nothing’s certain.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
