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the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly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
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled the Democratic legislature improperly began the amendment process after early voting had started in the state’s general election.
—
Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The move led to criticism, most notably from members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC who argued the DCCC was improperly tipping the scales in favor of Bains.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Judges also upheld separate findings that Kim improperly received about 42 million won (about $28,000) in political support tied to vehicle leases and insurance payments during preparations for his election campaign.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
The judge said Rosen’s fundraising and public comments improperly tied the Stanford prosecution to combating antisemitism, even though the defendants were not charged with hate crimes.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Separately, Haushalter and several other residents filed an appeal with the township’s zoning board, arguing that permits had been issued improperly because the land remains zoned for agriculture.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 May 2026
In 1918, a neighboring property sale recorded inaccurate boundaries that improperly absorbed the cemetery into an adjacent parcel, the first of decades of land transfers that gradually left the burial ground isolated and inaccessible.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
The duo was rooting for the home team, no doubt, but if things weren’t going right or if the team was playing improperly or if a game was taking a little too long, the kvetching on the air would make the doldrums bearable.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The weapon was also handled improperly.
—Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The move led to criticism, most notably from members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC who argued the DCCC was improperly tipping the scales in favor of Bains.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Judges also upheld separate findings that Kim improperly received about 42 million won (about $28,000) in political support tied to vehicle leases and insurance payments during preparations for his election campaign.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
The judge said Rosen’s fundraising and public comments improperly tied the Stanford prosecution to combating antisemitism, even though the defendants were not charged with hate crimes.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Separately, Haushalter and several other residents filed an appeal with the township’s zoning board, arguing that permits had been issued improperly because the land remains zoned for agriculture.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 May 2026
In 1918, a neighboring property sale recorded inaccurate boundaries that improperly absorbed the cemetery into an adjacent parcel, the first of decades of land transfers that gradually left the burial ground isolated and inaccessible.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
The duo was rooting for the home team, no doubt, but if things weren’t going right or if the team was playing improperly or if a game was taking a little too long, the kvetching on the air would make the doldrums bearable.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The weapon was also handled improperly.
—Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
-
But this year, candidates received a yellow notice instructing them to only file their disclosures online with the state, and not with any other entity, leading seven candidates, including the four now running independently, to incorrectly file their financial documents.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
-
Gnats were observed during the second inspection, and some food was still incorrectly stored but fixed during the inspection.—
Eva Flowe
May 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 May 2026
Adverb
-
Beneficiaries on the West Coast were mistakenly scheduled for in-person appointments with Jean’s team.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
On Tuesday, trial investigators presented the results of a study that tested how well combining the drugs Tremfya and Simponi would stop the immune system from mistakenly attacking healthy tissues in the digestive tract.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
5 May 2026
Adverb
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If an Entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or destroyed, entrant’s sole remedy shall be another entry into the Sweepstakes.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
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This comes just days after FIFA President Gianni Infantino tried to defend the sky-high ticket prices by (erroneously) comparing them to college football get-in prices.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled Monday that Thao and her three co-defendants failed to prove government authorities acted inappropriately or hid damning details about their star witness while building their sprawling corruption case in the first half of 2024.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Guadalupe Mercado-Guerra, from Mexico, reportedly touched a minor inappropriately multiple times in Travis County, Texas, near the city of Austin.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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