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the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly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 court said jurors received instructions from the trial judge that could have improperly swayed them toward convicting him.
—
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Last year, the court ordered D’Ambrose to pay $25,000 in attorney fees and $5,000 to two individuals whose identities were improperly disclosed.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
Curtains can also undermine a beautiful room if they're improperly installed.
—Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026
Taking diphenhydramine improperly or in large amounts can affect the brain and heart, and can lead to serious or life-threatening effects, the advisory warned.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Doing glute exercises excessively and especially improperly can lead to injury.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The proposal would have directed money from the Treasury Department’s Judgment Fund to compensate people who claimed they were improperly targeted by federal investigations during the Biden administration.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2026
Raw round sausage meat was improperly stored inside the reach-in cooler and inside the upright freezer.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
june 19, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Last year, the court ordered D’Ambrose to pay $25,000 in attorney fees and $5,000 to two individuals whose identities were improperly disclosed.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
Curtains can also undermine a beautiful room if they're improperly installed.
—Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026
Taking diphenhydramine improperly or in large amounts can affect the brain and heart, and can lead to serious or life-threatening effects, the advisory warned.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Doing glute exercises excessively and especially improperly can lead to injury.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The proposal would have directed money from the Treasury Department’s Judgment Fund to compensate people who claimed they were improperly targeted by federal investigations during the Biden administration.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2026
Raw round sausage meat was improperly stored inside the reach-in cooler and inside the upright freezer.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
june 19, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
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Ujal Thakor was first to the buzzer, incorrectly guessing Tennessee.—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
-
Seeing the huge resulting mess the next morning, Lily incorrectly assumes the night shift is also collaborating.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Adverb
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Lululemon’s ad campaign strikes the wrong chord Activewear brand Lululemon sparked an online uproar in China after a promotional event held on the Great Wall appeared to mistakenly feature a Japanese drum.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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Jonathan the tortoise, the ancient reptile mistakenly declared dead back on April Fools' Day, is not only still alive, but has earned another accolade.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Adverb
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Adding to the controversy, Walker was erroneously credited with inventing the hot comb.—
Vivian Yee,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
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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
Adverb
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But lawyers and digital privacy experts argue that the deal raises questions about who will have access to the massive cache of health data and whether it could be inappropriately accessed and exploited.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
17 June 2026
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According to the police report, the 5-year-old victim was at her babysitter's home when she was inappropriately touched by Hernandez, who was also inside the house.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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