proprietorial

adjective

pro·​pri·​e·​to·​ri·​al prə-ˌprī-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce proprietorial (audio)
prō-

Examples of proprietorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Luxuriantly bearded Victorians felt deeply proprietorial about nature, and there was much patronizing sneering. Mary Jo Dilonardo, Treehugger, 25 May 2023 Still, at its best the magic here is social – in a private dining room all your own, with waiters who take proprietorial pride in service, with a baked Alaska as finale, all reminders that a night like this is about more than dinner. Ian McNulty, NOLA.com, 28 Dec. 2020 Still, why should the man who wrote these songs not take proprietorial pride in them? D.b., The Economist, 4 June 2019 Though attitudes are changing, many scientists are still quite proprietorial about their data. The Economist, 14 June 2018 One of them is the intensely proprietorial air brought to her by her fans. D.j. Taylor, WSJ, 7 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proprietorial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of proprietorial was in 1783

Dictionary Entries Near proprietorial

Cite this Entry

“Proprietorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietorial. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on proprietorial

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!