as in exclusive
belonging to only one person, unit, or group and not used by or available to others
The restaurant's proprietary recipe for barbecue sauce is only known to the head chef.
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Recent Examples of proprietary
Made with proprietary PhytoFerment technology, the line includes a scalp spray priced at $38, a detoxifying shampoo going for $39, a detangling spray at $28, a $48 oil treatment and hair and scalp balm with a $36 price tag.
—
Caché McClay, USA Today, 21 Sep. 2025
If a dealer or broker also makes proprietary trades, regulators may lump those together with customer business.
—Robert Green, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This one, too, is tricked out with tech for rotating 360 degrees on the spot and crab walking diagonally, all thanks to the proprietary e4 Platform (quad-motor independent torque vectoring) and the DiSus-P intelligent hydraulic body control system.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
The proprietary clutter pushed down traditional-dictionary links, and Dictionary .com’s traffic fell by about 40 percent.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Caché McClay, USA Today, 21 Sep. 2025
If a dealer or broker also makes proprietary trades, regulators may lump those together with customer business.
—Robert Green, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This one, too, is tricked out with tech for rotating 360 degrees on the spot and crab walking diagonally, all thanks to the proprietary e4 Platform (quad-motor independent torque vectoring) and the DiSus-P intelligent hydraulic body control system.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
The proprietary clutter pushed down traditional-dictionary links, and Dictionary .com’s traffic fell by about 40 percent.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proprietary
exclusive
Adjective
-
This year, Armani beauty hosted a special dinner for movers and shakers, presented the Audience Award – Venezia Spotlight – and debuted the Giorgio Armani Cinema Club, an exclusive sanctuary for industry experts, artists and creators.—
Randee Dawn,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proprietary. Accessed 28 Sep. 2025.
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