Synonyms of appropriate

appropriate 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈprō-prē-ət 

as in suitable

meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation

I don't think jeans and a T-shirt are appropriate attire for a wedding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suitable
• proper
• fitting
• fit
• fitted
• good
• applicable
• right
• adequate
• happy
• acceptable
• pretty
• meet
• in order
• apt
• needed
• balanced
• becoming
• felicitous
• required
• befitting
• satisfactory
• deserved
• able
• justified
• requisite
• capable
• correct
• competent
• decent
• qualified
• decorous
• just
• rightful
• tolerable
• serviceable
• trained
• condign
• respectable
• kosher
• harmonious
• consonant
• cut out
• pitch-perfect
• congruous
• seemly
• companionate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inappropriate
• improper
• unsuitable
• wrong
• incongruous
• inapplicable
• unseemly
• unfit
• unfitting
• indecent
• unhappy
• inadequate
• unbecoming
• incapable
• inapt
• incompetent
• unacceptable
• unsatisfactory
• unqualified
• inapposite
• unskilled
• intolerable
• infelicitous
• untrained
• inept
• unapt
• inexpert
• unskillful
• unmeet
• incorrect
• unbeseeming
• incompatible
• malapropos
• misbecoming
• indecorous
• uncongenial
• graceless

appropriate

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 

1

as in to seize

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right

archaeologists wrongfully appropriated artifacts excavated at ancient sites for their museums

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seize
• confiscate
• grab
• usurp
• convert
• occupy
• claim
• steal
• preempt
• assume
• commandeer
• pirate
• take over
• arrogate
• annex
• expropriate
• attach
• press
• invade
• snatch
• loot
• impound
• grasp
• repossess
• collar
• wrench
• encroach
• trespass
• infringe
• misappropriate
• misuse
• sequester
• despoil
• pillage
• preoccupy
• misapply
• wrest
• embezzle
• peculate

2

as in to steal

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

you can't just appropriate somebody's term paper and put your name on it!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steal
• swipe
• lift
• misappropriate
• grab
• rip off
• pilfer
• hook
• filch
• purloin
• run off with
• snatch
• pinch
• boost
• pocket
• nick
• rob
• nip
• make away with
• snitch
• take
• make off with
• walk off with
• pick
• thieve
• hijack
• seize
• sack
• loot
• knock over
• plunder
• spirit
• heist
• rifle
• pillage
• grasp
• burglarize
• collar
• rustle
• kidnap
• poach
• nail
• sponge
• shoplift
• abduct
• carjack
• shanghai
• mooch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purchase
• buy
• present
• give
• contribute
• bestow
• donate
• hand over

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective appropriate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of appropriate are apt, felicitous, fitting, fit, happy, meet, proper, and suitable. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

In what contexts can apt take the place of appropriate?

In some situations, the words apt and appropriate are roughly equivalent. However, apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When would felicitous be a good substitute for appropriate?

The synonyms felicitous and appropriate are sometimes interchangeable, but felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When might fit be a better fit than appropriate?

The words fit and appropriate can be used in similar contexts, but fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

When could fitting be used to replace appropriate?

Although the words fitting and appropriate have much in common, fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

Where would happy be a reasonable alternative to appropriate?

The meanings of happy and appropriate largely overlap; however, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

When is meet a more appropriate choice than appropriate?

While in some cases nearly identical to appropriate, meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

When is it sensible to use proper instead of appropriate?

The words proper and appropriate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

When can suitable be used instead of appropriate?

While the synonyms suitable and appropriate are close in meaning, suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of appropriate

Adjective

Of course, on his watch, a majority of California students still can’t read or do math at grade-appropriate levels and now many of the incoming students in our prestigious University of California system can’t either. —Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026

The guidelines include changes to alcohol recommendations, no longer specifying appropriate limits for men and women. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026

Verb

Funding that was already appropriated through the budget process. —Kristin Brown, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026

Trump has attempted to unilaterally rename the Defense Department and the Kennedy Center, despite straightforward laws requiring acts of Congress to do so, and has impounded funds appropriated by Congress for child care and family assistance allocated to Democratic states. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026