as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way
the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly
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Recent Examples of improperly
Generators can be deadly if used improperly.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 May 2026
One option is integrating anti-tamper mechanisms that destroy key components or erase onboard software if the drone is captured or improperly accessed.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Frozen meats and tripe were improperly thawing at room temperature.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
may 22, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Synergy Marine accused prosecutors of improperly treating an accident as a crime.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
The governor emphasized that while Peters’ guilt was not in dispute, the court had determined her punishment was improperly influenced by her political speech rather than solely her criminal actions.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
In a statement, Raffensperger rejected claims that observers were being improperly excluded and said vote counting takes place at the county level, not in the Secretary of State's Election Night reporting space.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
The airliner returned to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed by improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 May 2026
The former attorney alleges that he was denied his right to a fair trial after Hill improperly influenced jurors.
—Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 May 2026
One option is integrating anti-tamper mechanisms that destroy key components or erase onboard software if the drone is captured or improperly accessed.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Frozen meats and tripe were improperly thawing at room temperature.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
may 22, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Synergy Marine accused prosecutors of improperly treating an accident as a crime.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
The governor emphasized that while Peters’ guilt was not in dispute, the court had determined her punishment was improperly influenced by her political speech rather than solely her criminal actions.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
In a statement, Raffensperger rejected claims that observers were being improperly excluded and said vote counting takes place at the county level, not in the Secretary of State's Election Night reporting space.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
The airliner returned to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed by improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 May 2026
The former attorney alleges that he was denied his right to a fair trial after Hill improperly influenced jurors.
—Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
-
Cotten argued that the audit incorrectly claims that the department does not have a grasp of its budget.—
Dylan Lysen
May 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
-
Creators who believe their videos have been tagged as AI incorrectly can appeal, but not if the site marks an upload as AI for either of those reasons.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
Yet, a recent discussion within the scientific community has mistakenly created a false narrative for the public.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
He was mistakenly substituted during Santos’ 3-0 defeat to Coritiba after the fourth official on the touchline displayed his number by accident — an error the referee wouldn’t reverse.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
Adverb
-
The Sentinel discovered the development with Gavi’s license because her name was included erroneously at one point in the Bastien documents.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
It had been erroneously reported that Kelce would wear Hilfiger gear as part of his gameday tunnel walk.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Argueta denies touching the girl inappropriately.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
-
Zahrt first called the Department of Child and Family Services in 2018 when her then-7-year-old daughter began rubbing lotion on herself inappropriately, and claimed that was how her father instructed her to do so, Zahrt said in the Hulu series.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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