as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way
she inappropriately referred to my chaperone as my father, and not as my stepfather
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Recent Examples of inappropriately
But Culkin testified on the witness stand that the King of Pop never inappropriately touched him.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 June 2026
In 2023, federal investigators had found that the city’s police routinely discriminated against Black residents, inappropriately used police dogs against people, and failed to properly respond to people facing mental health challenges.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 2 June 2026
Roy said Feldstein Soto inappropriately took action to block an affordable housing project in Venice.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Argueta denies touching the girl inappropriately.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Zahrt first called the Department of Child and Family Services in 2018 when her then-7-year-old daughter began rubbing lotion on herself inappropriately, and claimed that was how her father instructed her to do so, Zahrt said in the Hulu series.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
The physicians the Globe interviewed didn’t suggest patients were enrolled in hospice inappropriately.
—Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 21 May 2026
The entire exchange was caught on video and went viral as another example of adults involved in youth sports acting inappropriately, and Morris’ calm under pressure.
—Keith Law, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Helsingin Sanomat reported that nine women in all came forward with allegations that Rydman behaved inappropriately with them.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 June 2026
In 2023, federal investigators had found that the city’s police routinely discriminated against Black residents, inappropriately used police dogs against people, and failed to properly respond to people facing mental health challenges.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 2 June 2026
Roy said Feldstein Soto inappropriately took action to block an affordable housing project in Venice.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Argueta denies touching the girl inappropriately.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Zahrt first called the Department of Child and Family Services in 2018 when her then-7-year-old daughter began rubbing lotion on herself inappropriately, and claimed that was how her father instructed her to do so, Zahrt said in the Hulu series.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
The physicians the Globe interviewed didn’t suggest patients were enrolled in hospice inappropriately.
—Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 21 May 2026
The entire exchange was caught on video and went viral as another example of adults involved in youth sports acting inappropriately, and Morris’ calm under pressure.
—Keith Law, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Helsingin Sanomat reported that nine women in all came forward with allegations that Rydman behaved inappropriately with them.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriately
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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Though Rogers is Christian, his story of transformation from weakling to hero certainly spoke to young Jewish boys and men, who were often inaccurately portrayed in the media and press as intellectually superior but physically inferior.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
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In 2024, Abbott recalled several lots of Libre 3 sensors due to inaccurately high readings.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inappropriately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inappropriately. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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