appropriate

adjective

ap·pro·pri·ate | \ ə-ˈprō-prē-ət

Definition of appropriate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: especially suitable or compatible : fitting an appropriate response remarks appropriate to the occasion

appropriate

verb

ap·pro·pri·ate | \ ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt

appropriated; appropriating

Definition of appropriate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to take exclusive possession of : annex No one should appropriate a common benefit.

2 : to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use appropriate money for a research program

3 : to take or make use of without authority or right natural habitats that have been appropriated for human use

Other Words from appropriate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about appropriate

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Other Words from appropriate

Adjective

appropriately adverb

appropriateness noun

Verb

appropriable \ -prē-ə-bəl

\ adjective

appropriator \ -prē-ˌā-tər

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for appropriate

Adjective

fit, suitable, meet, proper, appropriate, fitting, apt, happy, felicitous mean right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance. fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action. fit for battle suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands. clothes suitable for camping meet suggests a just proportioning. meet payment proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom. proper acknowledgement appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness. an appropriate gift fitting implies harmony of mood or tone. a fitting end apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination. apt quotations happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate. a happy choice of words felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful. a felicitous phrase

Did You Know?

From its roots, the verb appropriate would mean basically "make one's own"—that is, "take", or sometimes "grab". Each year the President and Congress create a budget and appropriate funds for each item in it, funds which mostly come in the form of taxes from the public. In the House of Representatives, the powerful Appropriations Committee often gets the last word on how much money goes to each program. "Misappropriation of funds", on the other hand, is a nice way of saying "theft". If someone appropriated pieces of your novel, you might take him or her to court; and if you appropriated trade secrets from your former employers, you might be the one sued.

Examples of appropriate in a Sentence

Adjective

More than almost anyone writing today, Slater, whose prose is astringent and sensuous by turn, reflects both a genuine feeling for and appreciation of foods appropriate to the season—and a tolerance for kitchen disasters. — Cynthia Zarin, Gourmet, April 2007 Crepuscular means "pertaining to twilight." It sounds so lovely. I use the word as much as possible, even when it's not appropriate. — Bob Berman, Astronomy, June 2006 While working as one of the exhibition curators, I was surprised to learn that, until the 1920s, ice cream was properly eaten with a fork, a cumbersome technique decried by none other than Florence Howe hall, the granddaughter of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". But if high society eventually agreed on a more appropriate utensil for eating the frozen-dessert, even the most au courant hostess may have had trouble deciding what kind of device should be used for serving it … — Darra Goldstein, Saveur, June-July 2006 Three days. There was no way on this earth that proper due diligence could be done in such a limited time. For a merger of this magnitude, a week's worth of due diligence would have been more appropriate. — Nina Munk, Vanity Fair, January 2004 Red wine would have been a more appropriate choice with the meal. The movie is perfectly appropriate to people of all ages.

Verb

From this source it was appropriated by Wilhelm Ropke in his effort to develop a social and political theory in which the market economy would be reconciled with the local community. — Roger Scruton, National Review, 20 June 2005 Dr. Seuss's mother, also the daughter of German immigrants, was Henrietta Seuss, and when he appropriated the name for his books Dr. Seuss pronounced it in the German manner, "soice," until he realized that Americans naturally read the name as "soose," and that the American pronunciation of "Dr. Seuss" evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with—Mother Goose. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 23 & 30 Dec. 2002 Wales, in contrast, was officially appropriated into the United Kingdom by Henry VIII's Acts of Union, in 1536 and 1543, before it had developed the apparatus of a modern state. — Pamela Petro, Atlantic, April 1999 The town has appropriated funds to repair the bridge and work should begin this summer. The economy has been weakened by corrupt officials who have appropriated the country's resources for their own use. Elements of the design were appropriated from other architects. The term “bad” has been appropriated by teenagers as a synonym for “good.”

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Mr Trump’s way of thinking about the issue may have been appropriate in 1917, when the United States bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark and sovereignty over sparsely populated islands could still be a transaction between foreign powers. — The Economist, "A polarising president: Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland," 16 Aug. 2019 That rebellion and that pushing against parents is developmentally appropriate. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Girls today are seemingly the fiercest America has ever produced. Why can’t we protect them?," 16 Aug. 2019 What is the appropriate Voight-Kampff test for corporate propaganda accounts? — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Amazon’s Twitter ambassadors are blurring the line between fact and fiction," 16 Aug. 2019 Such searches can be appropriate if an offender had used those devices in committing a crime or there is evidence from the offender’s history that the devices could be used in a future crime. — Nico Savidge, The Mercury News, "California Supreme Court strengthens digital privacy rights for probationers," 15 Aug. 2019 The court directed the project authorities to seek appropriate environment clearance along with wildlife clearance. — Nikhil S Dixit, Quartz India, "Mumbai’s small fishing community is relieved after a $2 billion road is stalled," 14 Aug. 2019 Instead of showing appropriate humility and listening, all too often, German officials lecture Africans on best practice and reveal ignorance of the basics regarding the real situation. — Quartz Africa, "Even after acknowledging the Namibia genocide of WWI, Germany still hasn’t learned the key lesson," 10 Aug. 2019 So what makes it, describe why the T word is appropriate. — Nr Staff, National Review, "The Editors Podcast: More Mass Shootings Shake the Nation," 9 Aug. 2019 These tips are directed to appropriate school officials, law enforcement, and mental health authorities for immediate assessment and intervention, when necessary. — Nicole Hockley, Quartz, "Four out of five mass shooters give you the power to stop them," 9 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This is especially troubling in an era in which more than half of every dollar Congress appropriates is spent on defense. — Colin Barrett, Harper's magazine, "Letters," 22 July 2019 Governors here can strike out words and numbers, allowing them to structure parts of the state's spending plans in ways lawmakers never intended and are able to strike individual words and numbers from legislation that appropriates money. — Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "GOP lawmakers spark new clash over Tony Evers' authority with constitutional amendment to limit veto power," 9 July 2019 Earlier in the day, the Senate voted 37-55 to reject the House's emergency border funding bill, which would have appropriated $4.5 billion for emergency funding, as well as stronger protections for migrants and children. — Nicholas Wu, USA TODAY, "Senate passes $4.6 billion border funding bill amid gridlock on humanitarian funding," 26 June 2019 Included are 11 large collages that appropriate a trove of World War II-era love letters Broker acquired, written by a man named Johnny to his darling Kay back home. — Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle, "Art Daybook: Karin Broker presses history into a pretty show with a steely theme," 2 May 2018 With construction on Three Light expected to begin soon, Cordish asked the city for an amendment to the 2004 pact that appropriates $17.5 million for a third garage. — Bill Turque, kansascity, "Cordish considers Midland office building for affordable housing | The Kansas City Star," 19 Mar. 2018 In fact, the candle shop came out looking so period-appropriate that there was apparently even talk of writing it into the show, although these plans never materialized. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "There’s much more to Stranger Things’ Starcourt Mall than meets the eye," 12 July 2019 However, her choice of name has upset many, who say KKW is appropriating from a culture that is not hers. — Ephrat Livni, Quartzy, "Read the letter from Kyoto’s mayor to Kim Kardashian protesting “Kimono” shapewear," 30 June 2019 The percentage of cost of undergraduate education appropriated from state treasuries has declined for post-secondary systems in nearly all states. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Student debt issue needs more study," 30 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appropriate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.