apropos
Americanadverb
-
fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely.
-
Obsolete. by the way.
adjective
idioms
adjective
adverb
-
appropriately or pertinently
-
by the way; incidentally
-
(preposition) with regard to; in respect of
Etymology
Origin of apropos
First recorded in 1660–70; from French à propos literally, “to purpose,” from Latin ad prōpositum; ad-, proposition
Explanation
Apropos means regarding or appropriate to, as in: Apropos of your interest in fishing, your grandfather gave you his set of championship lures, rods, reels and lucky tackle box. Apropos is a useful word to learn. But first you have to know how to pronounce it: AP-rə-pō. Then you can conveniently change the subject of a conversation by using the expression "Apropos of nothing," which is a glib way of saying, "Oh, and by the way..." If someone's remarks are suitable and appropriate to the occasion, you can get on their good side by saying: How apropos!
Vocabulary lists containing apropos
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Pop Culture: January 19 - 25, 2019
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
She incorporates films as seemingly irrelevant but surprisingly apropos as the Bela Lugosi horror movie “The Black Cat” and an Astaire-Rogers musical.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
He also told me, apropos of conjectures about White House insider trading: “This particular kind of trading — hour by hour on tariff changes — doesn’t strike me as likely, but who knows?!”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025
During an appearance on The Late Show, when Stephen Colbert asked, apropos of nothing, if she has a favorite novelty flag to display at her home, Jackson laughed and offered a polite “no comment.”
From Slate • Oct. 4, 2024
Over and over again he kept bringing it up, apropos of nothing, as if on a loop.
From Salon • Aug. 9, 2024
The Zimbabwean proverb, “If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing,” is quite apropos here.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
