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

Keep scrolling for more

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

Game Overlay might be more appropriate, albeit less elegant. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Microsoft powers up Windows 10's Game Bar with truly useful tools for PC enthusiasts," 4 Apr. 2019 For adults 18 to 25, 10 to 11 hours may be appropriate, but more than 11 hours is not recommended. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How Much Sleep Do I Need?," 21 Mar. 2019 Positive Discipline is a method where parents clearly communicate what behaviors are appropriate, which ones are inappropriate, and what the rewards for good behavior and the consequences for bad behavior are. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "What Is Positive Discipline? Experts Say This Method Is Effective at Getting Kids to Behave," 8 Mar. 2019 Even when the show’s producers try to count her off, her (appropriate) frustration is winning. — Marisa Polansky And Kristine Keller, Vogue, "A Helpful Guide to Nailing Your Oscars Acceptance Speech," 24 Feb. 2019 Arguments about who looks more appropriate, for example, that turn into personal attacks on other users. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Have Been Subjected to Horrifying Online Abuse," 28 Jan. 2019 An unusual ban on bets against the shares in one of Europe’s most valuable financial-technology companies is due to be lifted in April, reopening a battle between investors and regulators over when curbing short sellers is appropriate. — Paul J. Davies, WSJ, "Short-Selling Ban on Fintech Giant Agitates Investors," 22 Mar. 2019 Here’s how to do the five-part circuit: To start, grab a looped resistance band that's appropriate for you. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Strengthen Your Glutes With This 5-Part Banded Circuit From Dogpound Trainer Emily Samuel," 13 Feb. 2019 Federal prosecutors have appealed the sentence, saying 21 months would have been appropriate. — Bruce Schreiner, The Seattle Times, "Rand Paul testifies he feared for his life after 2017 attack," 28 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Can contemporary cultural objects be appropriated in the same way as ancient ones? — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "The cultural appropriation debate has changed. But is it for the better?," 18 Dec. 2018 Republicans have appropriated House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Farm bill, immigration redux, Ryan's potential ouster, like a Shakespeare 'play within a play'," 26 May 2018 Congress has appropriated more than $100 billion toward hurricane relief. — Kevin Diaz, San Antonio Express-News, "Lesson from Harvey response: Cut the red tape," 15 Mar. 2018 And the Atlantic reported that two agency staffers from Oklahoma close to Pruitt got raises totaling $84,000 using funds appropriated under the Safe Drinking Water Act — without approval from the White House. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Scott Pruitt’s bizarre condo scandal and mounting ethics questions, explained," 5 Apr. 2018 This week, the organization was officially notified that the government had appropriated the property. — Ann M. Simmons, WSJ, "Russia Seizes Property From Jehovah’s Witnesses After Banning Group," 6 Mar. 2019 Beyond that, the court will have to decide whether using a dance move in a video game can be considered appropriating someone’s likeness, in effect using someone else’s identity to sell something. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Fortnite keeps stealing dances — and no one knows if it’s illegal," 20 Dec. 2018 These fake accounts appropriate some real person’s picture online. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Social Media Crime Fighters at FireEye Are Helping Facebook Find Fake Accounts," 12 Oct. 2018 The money includes $1 billion for the current 2018 budget year and $195 million appropriated for 2017 that would have had to have been returned to the Treasury had it not been spent by Sept. 30. — Matthew Lee, Fox News, "US to release $1.2 billion in military aid to Egypt," 7 Sep. 2018

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.