INAPPROPRIATE Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

inappropriate

adjective

ˌi-nə-ˈprō-prē-ət

Definition of inappropriate

as in unsuitable

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation a bathing suit is inappropriate dress for strolling the streets of this seaside village

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of inappropriate Perhaps Michael Scott, the hopelessly inappropriate and often offensive lead character of the sitcom The Office, would have loved ancient Greece. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 Spartan Chemical warns that inappropriate exposure can cause the types of effects detainees experienced. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Dominguez also denied any inappropriate behavior during a forum Tuesday night. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Maybe it was considered inappropriate, or too violent, or too weird, or too different, or too feminist. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inappropriate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriate

Adjective

In a setting designed to make exceptional yachts desirable, explaining why a particular vessel is unsuitable requires commercial discipline.

— Christoph Lymbersky, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
And the religious character of this language is by no means unsuitable to this project of science that was bathed in biblical metaphors from the get-go—Code name Trinity, to cite just one example.

— Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adjective

In 2024, its football program acknowledged impermissible recruiting contacts during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, improper tryouts and unauthorized coaching by noncoaching staff.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
The production was shut down in Livingston, Montana last Saturday when locals complained about the production’s impact on the Livingston food bank and improper warnings about hazardous stunts.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of improper

Adjective

What prevents an incorrect action from propagating into the physical process?

— Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The sports media rarely treats athletes who espouse liberal or progressive political views as problematic, even when those views are provocative, divisive, or factually incorrect.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of incorrect

Adjective

British police acknowledged applying for the warrants under the wrong statutory provision, the judge said while stipulating that the misconduct investigation against the king's brother could continue.

— Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Doctors in Tennessee and Republican state senators called for the state to pause executions, because the chances of one going catastrophically wrong were so high.

— Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

Separately, the Independent Football Regulator has the powers to force club owners to sell and can withhold a license to operate if they are deemed unfit.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
In the meantime, a judge repeatedly deemed James mentally unfit for criminal proceedings.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfit

Adjective

Ovitz, meanwhile, asked to be excused from further questioning on the grounds that Ormond’s lawyers were trying to harass him with irrelevant questions.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
But three judges added a concurrence that could make the whole thing irrelevant — and finally clear the way for Presnell’s sentence to be carried out.

— Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026