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.
And for what it’s worth, the White House has strenuously denied that there’s anything inappropriate about Trump and Harp’s relationship.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
It said NRW was investigating a separate potential source of pollution entering the Tywi and as those investigations remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
What goes down: He accidentally blurts out an inappropriate word that shocks his older co-workers, who don’t understand that the word is often used as a compliment among young people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Said declined and stated the conversation was inappropriate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Suddenly, I understood everything: the arguments with Mamá, his inappropriate riddle for La Sirena the last time we had played Lotería as a family, the disconnected phones, his unexplained disappearance, it all made sense now.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
