propriety

[ pruh-prahy-i-tee ]

noun

, plural pro·pri·e·ties.

1. conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.

   Synonyms: modesty, decency

2. appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.

   Synonyms: seemliness, aptness, fitness

3. rightness or justness.

   Synonyms: correctness

4. the proprieties, the conventional standards of proper behavior; manners:

   to observe the proprieties.

5. Obsolete. a property.
6. Obsolete. a peculiarity or characteristic of something.

propriety

/ prəˈpraɪətɪ /

noun

1. the quality or state of being appropriate or fitting
2. conformity to the prevailing standard of behaviour, speech, etc
3. the proprieties
   plural the standards of behaviour considered correct by polite society

Other Words From

• nonpro·prie·ty noun plural nonproprieties

Word History and Origins

Origin of propriety¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English propriete “ownership, something owned, one's own nature” (compare variant proprete property ), from Middle French propriété, from Latin proprietāt-, stem of proprietās “peculiarity, ownership,” equivalent to propri(us) proper + -etās, variant, after vowels, of -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of propriety¹

C15: from Old French propriété, from Latin proprietās a peculiarity, from proprius one's own

Synonym Study

See etiquette.

Example Sentences

Then they stacked those pancakes together and connected them with propriety joints, creating a 10-ton, eight-foot-tall, D-shaped supermagnet, packed with 165 miles of superconducting tape coiled around 256 times.

From MIT Technology Review

He put officers in uniforms, he stressed safety and efficiency, and he preached the twin virtues of public safety and police propriety.

From Freakonomics

No other part or the propriety of the transaction itself is even in question.

From Voice of San Diego

In an interview this week, Egeland strongly defended the propriety of delivering aid to unwholesome parts of northern Syria.

From The Daily Beast

Presidents and potential presidents have often been accused of crossing some line of propriety.

From The Daily Beast

The Weather Underground, while we certainly crossed lines of propriety and legality, we never killed or injured anybody.

From The Daily Beast

But for the conservatives, and for Scalia most of all, legal propriety is absurdly quaint.

From The Daily Beast

Walking up to the edge of propriety and stepping over the line are all a rite of passage to self-definition.

From The Daily Beast

They shall plan how this may be done with due propriety, and shall advise us of their action.

From Project Gutenberg

I do it, persuaded of the propriety of the step, and satisfied that all will go well with him yet.

From Project Gutenberg

Further questions respecting her family, &c., were answered with equal directness and propriety, and with manifest truth.

From Project Gutenberg

Without having represented to your husband the propriety of first consulting his father, on whom he is dependent, I think?

From Project Gutenberg

Whatever argument can be employed to establish the propriety of engaging vocally in any religious service is here available.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• correctness
• decency
• decorum
• dignity
• modesty
• rectitude
• respectability