propriety
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.pro·pri·e·ty
noun \prə-ˈprī-ə-tē\ plural pro·pri·e·ties
Definition of PROPRIETY
1
obsolete : true nature
2
obsolete : a special characteristic : peculiarity
3
: the quality or state of being proper or suitable : appropriateness
4
a : conformity to what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech b : fear of offending against conventional rules of behavior especially between the sexes c plural : the customs and manners of polite society
See Examples of PROPRIETY
- She conducted herself with propriety.
- They debated the propriety of the punishment that he was given.
- When attending a wedding, there are certain proprieties that must be observed.
- If Madison felt the same annoyance with the dissenters, his prim sense of political propriety forbade him from stooping to personal attacks. —Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings …, 1996
- His austere and basically humble personality imposes a curious damp propriety upon his memorial. —John Updike, New Yorker, 1 July 1991
- In contemporary America the appearance of prosperity is all too often taken as a sign of propriety. —Jack Beatty, Atlantic, December 1989
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Origin of PROPRIETY
Middle English propriete, from Anglo-French proprieté, propreté property, quality of a person or thing — more at property
First Known Use: 14th century
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