apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.
apt quotations
happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.
a happy choice of words
felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.
a felicitous phrase
Example Sentences
Adjective It is not proper to speak that way. The children need to learn proper behavior. It would not be proper for you to borrow the ladder without asking first. She is a very prim and proper young lady. Is this the proper spelling of your name? You need to eat a proper meal instead of junk food. Each step must be done in the proper order. Adverb They beat us good and proper. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Exotic animals illegally held in captivity are often in very poor condition when conservation officers discover them due to a lack of proper care, according to NMDGF. From Staff Reports, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2022 With proper care, this sponge can last a while without getting riddled with bacteria. Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Aug. 2022 The health care system has a lot of biases that are baked right in, making a timely diagnosis of and proper care for heart failure a serious challenge. Sara Gaynes Levy, SELF, 31 Aug. 2022 Her case was split off from the larger suit, which also included a second woman who had been pregnant and alleged she was denied proper medical care by jail staff and subsequently lost her baby in childbirth. Tommy Mcardle, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 Its efforts, however, were halted by federal courts, including the Supreme Court, which in June 2020 said officials had not followed the proper procedures to terminate the program. Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2022 To keep your porch and patio furniture looking its best for another season, proper care must be taken before winter weather hits. Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022 The Secret Service has insisted that proper procedures were followed. Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Failing to implement proper security procedures to monitor foot traffic. Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2022
Noun
Oklahoma City proper spiked to 110 degrees for the first time in a decade on Tuesday. Matthew Cappucci, Anchorage Daily News, 20 July 2022 Oklahoma City proper spiked to 110 degrees for the first in a decade on Tuesday. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 18 July 2022 San Francisco proper appeared to be the one bright spot, seeing homelessness decline slightly. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 18 May 2022 Eventually, the teachers made their way to a back room, called the archive proper.al, 14 July 2022 Specifically, to the mountains flanking the valley proper, known for producing complex, dark-fruited, deeply structured Cabernets. Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 26 June 2022 Right now, even ahead of Prime Day proper, there are several brands available for great prices. Brittany Vincent, SELF, 22 June 2022 That fascination is playing out at the moment not only on a stage in Cambridge, but in Boston proper, too. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 June 2022 Afterward, head down to the Circle proper for the kickoff of the See You at the Circle concert series with the go-go sound of the Experience Band and Show and powerhouse neo-soul singer Deborah Bond. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 10 June 2022
Adverb
The Backpacker’s Field Manual is a well-rounded and comprehensive primer on how to select a proper-fitting pack, select a campsite, lower your physical impact on the trail, plan a backcountry menu, and learn about dozens of other topics. Matt Jancer, Wired, 20 Nov. 2021 Another safety consideration has to do with injury risk: Wearing proper-fitting shoes can help prevent injury, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says. Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Dec. 2020 Just as there’s something to be said for proper-fitting women’s flannels, there’s also something to be said for a good pair of men’s camp pants. Ben Romans, Outdoor Life, 26 Nov. 2020 The port proper is connected to Market Three by a narrow cement path that wends between an overgrown empty lot known as the Mountain, a permanent black puddle the size of a swimming pool, and the port’s 20-foot-high outside wall. Aurora Almendral, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020 The carriage house proper boasted a livery room and space for six large equipages. John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2019 Big red signs warn them of the danger to their lives at the checkpoints that divide Israel proper from the Palestinian territories. Batya Ungar-sargon, The New York Review of Books, 17 June 2019 Around the globe the Jetta will be a lot of somebodies’ first proper, grown-up automobile—a chapter-of-life choice, a fork in the road. Dan Neil, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2018 Additionally, families can opt for grander accommodations than the lodge proper by renting from Spruce Peaks’ pool of private residences and mountain cabins. Paul Rubio, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English propre proper, own, from Anglo-French, from Latin proprius own