PROPRIETY Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

propriety

noun

prə-ˈprī-ə-tē

Definition of propriety

as in etiquette

socially acceptable behavior some people miss the straitlaced propriety that was largely abandoned in the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in manner

proprieties plural personal conduct or behavior as evaluated by an accepted standard of appropriateness for a social or professional setting an etiquette columnist who insists that traditional proprieties are necessary in order to maintain a civil society

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in appropriateness

the quality or state of being especially suitable or fitting I'm not sure about the propriety of serving champagne in these glasses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 propriety All about that plane When Qatar gave the Boeing 747, fit for an Emirate prince, to Trump last year, some observers voiced concerns, both on grounds of security and propriety. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 July 2026 The strongest works in The New Grotesque ingloriously depict the female body as qualified and discarded in equal measure, a battlefield on which wars over propriety are fought. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026 Some are in-house, propriety applications developed by larger companies. — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 The second agreement precludes the Justice Department or any other federal agency from investigating the propriety of that funding. — Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for propriety

Recent Examples of Synonyms for propriety

Noun

And there would have been girls rebelling against social etiquette back then, like, there would now.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Now the older generation is scolding workers for having a different view on interview etiquette without recognizing the cold reality of today’s job market.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of etiquette

Noun

Rather, to live under platform capitalism is to recognize the disturbing manner in which human need has been redescribed as algorithmic entanglement.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
After all, rural communities rely heavily on that gubmint for all manner of necessary goods, from aid to farmers to our regional hospital, itself on life support as Medicaid funding drops.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of manner

Noun

And if there is a credible question about a speaker’s appropriateness, the library should investigate and act rationally based on actual evidence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
As many as 11 sketches were removed, including a self-referential skit in which David Mitchell and Robert Webb joked about the appropriateness of Blackface while in Blackface.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of appropriateness

Noun

The blunderbuss of violations of the basic decorum and dignity of democracy have become such a daily matter that the increasingly familiar response is to sigh and surrender.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
However, her choice of a plainer variety for Monday’s festivities fit with the occasion’s decorum.

— Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of decorum

Noun

According to the court, while NetChoice could challenge the validity of the Georgia law, the group had not sufficiently argued that enforcement of the law would be unconstitutional.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
The canvassing board is made up of Garcia and two county judges, and is responsible for determining the validity of ballots and whether they should be counted.

— Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of validity

Noun

The novel conveys the moral decency of one man determined to do right.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
Hospital billing departments and insurance bureaucracies operate according to spreadsheets, algorithms, and procedural scripts rather than humanity and decency in judgment.

— Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of decency

Noun

The general applicability became clear over the subsequent years.

— Karl Deisseroth, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026
There is a broad debate over the applicability of PNB to modern anti-trust cases, with many legal scholars finding the application of a random number, without any real analysis of the potential harm a merger might cause, to be a fatal flaw.

— Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of applicability

Noun

Not sincere, caring concern, and not questions about the legality or morality of Grace’s ultimatum.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Their morality, as Peter Thiel taught Sam Altman, is to become a monopoly — that’s the only true business, is to be a monopoly.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of morality

Browse Nearby Words

proprietorships

propriety

props

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Style

“Propriety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propriety. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of propriety

noun

Example Sentences

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