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

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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 Digital services must also implement an effective age verification mechanism that goes beyond self-declaration that the user is over 18 to protect them from accessing inappropriate or prohibited material. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 Imprecise language can lead to incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate actions. — Liz Guthridge, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Said alleges that Gutman made another inappropriate remark during a separate work assignment. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026 Kulusich says she's witnessed other Disneyland patrons touch character actors or ask them inappropriate questions. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inappropriate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriate

Adjective

When channels are created with unsuitable blades, angles, or placement, transplanted hair may grow in an unnatural direction or produce an overly uniform appearance.

— Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Websites often attract unsuitable clients due to ineffective copy, hindering business growth.

— Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adjective

His brother, Eugene, who also reported the phone call as being improper, was elected to Congress in 2024 from Virginia.

— Caroline Linton, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Yet Jeanie’s attorney, Adam Streisand of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton Law, argued in the letter sent to her siblings’ attorneys that two previous legal rulings render that strategy improper.

— Sam Amick, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of improper

Adjective

When requirements are unclear, AI may make incorrect assumptions that compound over multiple iterations.

— Son Nguyen, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The senators also noted that grants were canceled out of the blue with form letters, which had contradictory explanations and incorrect citations.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of incorrect

Adjective

The company’s investment in the hedge fund, as well as wrong-way bets in Asian equity markets, drove part of the losses, said the person, who asked not to be identified citing private details.

— Katherine Doherty, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Maybe in this new era, more things will go right than wrong for the Mets.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

Some Democratic board members noted that voters unhappy with Lukas’ performance can express their dissatisfaction in the 2028 election.

— Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
When the motorcycle crew was unhappy with the drugs, Hinman and Beausoleil got into a confrontation.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

His reelection campaign has been rocked by the allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and her senator dad, who says Miller is unfit to serve in Congress.

— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Indeed, the representatives of that Government assert that the people of Hawaii are unfit for popular government and frankly avow that they can be best ruled by arbitrary or despotic power.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of unfit

Adjective

But according to Adobe’s recent research, as many as half of customers will disengage with a brand if promotions feel irrelevant or mistimed.

— Sharat Potharaju, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
This view has not been heard in the dizzying din of the emotional outburst and fearmongering of the side show and irrelevant conversation about transwomen in sports inexplicably occurring in the context of the WNBA.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026