proper

1 of 3

adjective

prop·​er ˈprä-pər 

1

a

: referring to one individual only

b

: belonging to one : own

c

: appointed for the liturgy of a particular day

d

: represented heraldically in natural color

2

: belonging characteristically to a species or individual : peculiar

3

chiefly dialectal : good-looking, handsome

4

: very good : excellent

5

chiefly British : utter, absolute

6

: strictly limited to a specified thing, place, or idea

the city proper

7

a

: strictly accurate : correct

b

archaic : virtuous, respectable

c

: strictly decorous : genteel

8

: marked by suitability, rightness, or appropriateness : fit

9

: being a mathematical subset (such as a subgroup) that does not contain all the elements of the inclusive set from which it is derived

properness noun

proper

2 of 3

noun

1

: the parts of the Mass that vary according to the liturgical calendar

2

: the part of a missal or breviary containing the proper of the Mass and the offices proper to the holy days of the liturgical year

proper

3 of 3

adverb

chiefly dialectal

: in a thorough manner : completely

Synonyms of proper

Adjective

• polite
• satisfactory
• respectable
• correct
• acceptable
• decorous
• nice
• adequate
• formal
• decent

Choose the Right Synonym for proper

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

Examples of proper in a Sentence

Adjective

It is not proper to speak that way.

The children need to learn proper behavior.

It would not be proper for you to borrow the ladder without asking first.

She is a very prim and proper young lady.

Is this the proper spelling of your name?

You need to eat a proper meal instead of junk food.

Each step must be done in the proper order.

Adverb

They beat us good and proper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Hot sleepers know the feeling of tossing, turning, and sweating through too-warm bedding especially well, but the proper seasonal bedding can eliminate this issue. —Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026

Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026

Noun

While its tunneling to date has taken place in the broader County, the company recently received approvals to start digging below the City of Las Vegas proper. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026

The Common Council Finance and Personnel Committee voted 4-1 to give police supervisors a 1% incentive boost for residing in Milwaukee proper. —Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Adverb

This marks the brand’s second location in Charlotte proper; the first opened in uptown in 2024, CharlotteFive previously reported. —Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2026

Stranger Things proper covered the years 1983-1987, with each season taking place in a new year. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English propre "belonging to a person or thing, private, peculiar, specific, appropriate, correct," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin proprius "one's own, belonging or peculiar to one person or thing, private, suitable, (of a word) proper to the thing being described," perhaps adjectival derivative from a verb *propriāre "to make one's own," from prō-/prŏ pro- entry 2 + *-priāre, derivative from Indo-European *prii̯o- "one's own, dear" — more at free entry 1

Note: An alternative hypothesis sees proprius as restructured from a phrase *prō prīvō "as a private individual," in which, after univerbation as *prōprīu̯os, the o was absorbed by the preceding u̯, which vocalized, leading to the shortening of ī (a vowel being regularly shortened before another vowel).

Noun

Middle English propre, derivative of propre proper entry 1

Adverb

derivative of proper entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1508, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing proper

• proper adjective
• proper fraction
• proper noun
• proper to

Rhymes for proper

• chopper
• copper
• cropper
• dropper
• pauper
• popper
• shopper
• stopper
• topper
• whopper
• eavesdropper
• grasshopper

Kids Definition

proper

adjective

prop·​er

ˈpräp-ər

1

: belonging naturally to something : special

diseases proper to the tropics

2

: considered without surrounding places, things, or events

lived outside the city proper

3

a

: strictly accurate : correct

the proper way to pronounce the word

b

: obeying social rules : appropriate

the proper way to address the mayor

4

: suitable because of an essential nature or condition

proper lighting to work by

properness noun

Legal Definition

proper

adjective

prop·​er

: marked by fitness or correctness

especially : being in accordance with established procedure, law, jurisdiction, or standards of care, fairness, and justice

argued that the shareholder was acting in bad faith and lacked a proper purpose for examining its records

properly adverb