inappropriate
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inappropriate
First recorded in 1795–1805; in- 3 + appropriate
Explanation
The word "appropriate" means correct or proper and since the little prefix "in" turns its meaning around, something inappropriate is considered not proper or suitable. Nowadays, it seems, anything goes. Yet good manners and standards prevail, and some things are simply inappropriate — such as taking a toddler to a violent movie, or making jokes at someone else's expense. You wouldn't show your future father-in-law naked pictures of his daughter or wear a bathing suit to a state dinner. Those actions are simply inappropriate.
Vocabulary lists containing inappropriate
Fish in a Tree
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Nothing But the Truth
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Game Changer
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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.
Their expertise could help identify potentially inappropriate prescribing cascades that warrant further evaluation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris said it was "clearly an inappropriate use of language" and that O'Leary "should have moved to rectify it".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
It aimed to enable any current or former MLAs or staff, or other users of Parliament Buildings, to report "any incidents of abuse or inappropriate behaviour they directly experienced".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The agent was placed on leave after the allegations of an inappropriate relationship emerged, and he resigned in March.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Our reading material was random and inappropriate, delivered to us in unlabeled cardboard boxes from Léopoldville.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
