pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē 
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an owner or title holder
The investors have a proprietary interest in the land.
The publisher has proprietary rights to the manuscript.
2
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary process
The computer comes with the manufacturer's proprietary software.
They're custom-made with a proprietary blend of spices and fillings …—
Town & Country Magazine
Town & Country Magazine3
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary clinic
pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
plural proprietaries
1
: one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive right to something
specifically
: proprietor sense 1
2
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (such as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
3
: a business secretly owned by and run as a cover for an intelligence organization
Did you know?
A proprietary process is a manufacturing process that others are forbidden to use, and a proprietary trademark is a name that only the owner can use. Legal rights of this kind are ensured by copyrights and patents. After a certain period of time, inventions and processes lose their legal protection, cease to be proprietary, and enter the "public domain", meaning that everyone can use them freely. Baseball fans often take a proprietary attitude toward their favorite team—that is, they behave more or less as if they own it, even though the only thing they may own is the right to yell from a bleacher seat till the end of a game.
Examples of proprietary in a Sentence
Adjective
By allowing less favorable results to remain buried, the agency puts proprietary interests ahead of the public interest, and doctors and the public come to believe prescription drugs are better than they are. That should stop.
—Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006
It is a proprietary faith: no one better tell me what to do with my own land.
—Lance Morrow, Time, 11 Sept. 2000
Many veterans have adopted a proprietary attitude toward the war, and they can get a bit belligerent about it.
—Nicholas Proffitt, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 1989
The investors have a proprietary interest in the land.
The computer comes with the manufacturer's proprietary software.
“Merriam-Webster” is a proprietary name.
The journalist tried to get access to proprietary information.
Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006
It is a proprietary faith: no one better tell me what to do with my own land.
—Lance Morrow, Time, 11 Sept. 2000
Many veterans have adopted a proprietary attitude toward the war, and they can get a bit belligerent about it.
—Nicholas Proffitt, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 1989
The investors have a proprietary interest in the land.
The computer comes with the manufacturer's proprietary software.
“Merriam-Webster” is a proprietary name.
The journalist tried to get access to proprietary information.
Recent Examples on the Web
Time Staff, Time, 12 May 2026
Light-diffusing pigments blur the look of dark circles, blemishes, and uneven skin tone with a soft-focus effect, while the proprietary Flex Form Matrix technology creates a breathable layer that moves with the skin throughout the day—without settling into fine lines or creasing.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Some parents described spending close to $5,000 a year for each of their 8 and 9-year-old kids’ spots on Black Bear’s teams, plus hundreds more for hotels, travel, equipment, uniforms, tryout fees and Black Bear’s proprietary streaming service, Black Bear TV.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The report noted the proprietary data may only reflect one component of retail store productivity, as metrics such as conversion rate and spending by luxury VICs were not captured by the numbers observed on the ground.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Statista has applied its own proprietary scoring to derive the final ranking positions; therefore, the ranking does not represent a direct reproduction of The Upright Project's raw data output.
—Time Staff, Time, 12 May 2026
Light-diffusing pigments blur the look of dark circles, blemishes, and uneven skin tone with a soft-focus effect, while the proprietary Flex Form Matrix technology creates a breathable layer that moves with the skin throughout the day—without settling into fine lines or creasing.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Some parents described spending close to $5,000 a year for each of their 8 and 9-year-old kids’ spots on Black Bear’s teams, plus hundreds more for hotels, travel, equipment, uniforms, tryout fees and Black Bear’s proprietary streaming service, Black Bear TV.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The report noted the proprietary data may only reflect one component of retail store productivity, as metrics such as conversion rate and spending by luxury VICs were not captured by the numbers observed on the ground.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietary. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
proprietary
1 of 2 noun
pro·pri·e·tary
p(r)ə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
plural proprietaries
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
proprietary
2 of 2 adjective1
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary drug
2
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary clinic
Legal Definition
proprietary
1 of 2 noun
pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
plural proprietaries
1
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
2
: a business secretly owned by and run as a cover for an intelligence operation
proprietary
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: held as property of a private owner
b
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a proprietor
proprietary rights
2
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary process
3
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary insurer
a proprietary clinic
4
: of or relating to the acts of a municipality which profit or benefit the municipality and for which it is answerable in negligence
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