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
pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an owner or title holder
proprietary rights
2
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary process
proprietary software
3
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary clinic
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
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
The rice comes from just up the road, just about 20 minutes away, and the brewery leans into its own proprietary yeast, which adds a signature twist.
—Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Since 2021, the proportion of people with retail credit card debt that file for bankruptcy has been rising at a faster rate than new filings overall, according to proprietary data and analytics from Stretto, a bankruptcy services firm.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,hugh Son, CNBC, 19 June 2025
WalletHub ranked the states by delinquency based on each state's proprietary user data from the first quarter of 2025.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
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
The new sandwich is offered in partnership with fourth-generation Paris, Tennessee, family operation Clifty Farm, which utilizes its own proprietary curing, aging, and smoking methods.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
The rice comes from just up the road, just about 20 minutes away, and the brewery leans into its own proprietary yeast, which adds a signature twist.
—Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Since 2021, the proportion of people with retail credit card debt that file for bankruptcy has been rising at a faster rate than new filings overall, according to proprietary data and analytics from Stretto, a bankruptcy services firm.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge,hugh Son, CNBC, 19 June 2025
WalletHub ranked the states by delinquency based on each state's proprietary user data from the first quarter of 2025.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietary. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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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