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.
The park’s policies state that, because of “increasing incidents of unruly and inappropriate behavior,” guests younger than 16 are required to have someone 21 or older with them during afternoon hours.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2026
The study states that the false belief has led "to negative consequences, including misinformed risk‐taking by those encountering snakes, unwarranted fear among snakebite victims, and inappropriate care delivered by misinformed or patient/family‐pressured medical professionals."
From Science Daily • Jul. 10, 2026
As part of the same investigation, the EU accused Meta in April of failing to prevent children under 13 using Facebook and Instagram, thereby potentially exposing them to inappropriate content.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
When you have the conversation — after you’ve cooled off — you will know whether this was an aberration or part of a wider pattern of inappropriate behavior.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
“I feel like there’s a really inappropriate joke in here somewhere.”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
