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the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly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 insurance company has alleged that a rogue AI robot masterminded Dela Torre’s campaign to improperly challenge her settlement agreement, generating a flurry of baseless and abusive filings that cost $300,000 to contest.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
This is rare, but will arise on an increasing basis due to attorneys continuing to improperly make use of AI for generating aspects of their legal briefs and failing to double-check their work.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
It was alleged that Murphy had years of misconduct, which included improperly touching genitals during massages and intrusive observation during urine sampling for drug tests.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
The most recent controversy came in January, when the county paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused Kramer of improperly slashing a property’s value by millions of dollars — then retaliating against the employee who raised alarms about it.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
The trustee alleged that Calce and other insiders had improperly siphoned away cash and other assets.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
Tiffany claimed election laws were improperly changed before the 2020 election, and has supported tighter election-security measures.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Beatty amended her complaint, arguing in part that she had again been improperly excluded from an upcoming board meeting at the White House at which trustees were expected to approve the shutdown.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
The Boston cop accused of improperly shooting and killing a carjacking suspect pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in a hearing packed by his fellow officers and their union.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
This is rare, but will arise on an increasing basis due to attorneys continuing to improperly make use of AI for generating aspects of their legal briefs and failing to double-check their work.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
It was alleged that Murphy had years of misconduct, which included improperly touching genitals during massages and intrusive observation during urine sampling for drug tests.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
The most recent controversy came in January, when the county paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused Kramer of improperly slashing a property’s value by millions of dollars — then retaliating against the employee who raised alarms about it.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
The trustee alleged that Calce and other insiders had improperly siphoned away cash and other assets.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
Tiffany claimed election laws were improperly changed before the 2020 election, and has supported tighter election-security measures.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Beatty amended her complaint, arguing in part that she had again been improperly excluded from an upcoming board meeting at the White House at which trustees were expected to approve the shutdown.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
The Boston cop accused of improperly shooting and killing a carjacking suspect pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in a hearing packed by his fellow officers and their union.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
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Acknowledging its decision to err on the side of caution, Anthropic said Fable 5’s safety-first approach might incorrectly flag harmless requests as being suspicious for less than 5% of queries.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
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Safety features Of course, knives can be dangerous when used incorrectly.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Adverb
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And days earlier, three US F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, with all crew members ejecting safely.—
Todd Symons,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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How Autoimmune Diseases Can Impact the Heart Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
9 June 2026
Adverb
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Consultants also found that the school district erroneously spent more than $2 million on the employer share of health insurance because of problems with its payroll system.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
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This prevented the driver from being erroneously cited and the incident could be used to show other drivers how the cameras were protecting them.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adverb
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The right drug given to the right patient at the right time is great, but the same drug can be inappropriately given, causing harm.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Nov. 2025
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Oh was accused of inappropriately touching an unidentified actress on multiple occasions between August and September 2017.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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