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.
In restorative justice, students are supposed to learn why their actions were inappropriate and, ideally, make amends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
TV agent Dermot McNamara, who has represented someone allegedly groomed by Walliams, told BBC Newsnight he had informed "authorities and broadcasters" about Walliams's alleged "inappropriate behaviour" but no action was taken.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Other delivery workers pointed out that the apps themselves sometimes recommend spectacularly inappropriate replacements, leaving shoppers to make sense of suggestions generated by software.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
And if a party is inappropriate in a dorm room, they don’t shut down the entire dormitory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Then we drove to the Economy Lodge Motel to pick up my dad, because it would have been inappropriate for him to stay at our house.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
