improper
/ɪmˈpɹɒp.ə/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/ɪmˈpɹɔp.ə/
improper adjective: unsuitable to needs or circumstances; inappropriate; inapt.
Adjective
improper (comparative more improper, superlative most improper)
- Unsuitable to needs or circumstances; inappropriate; inapt.
- Not in keeping with conventional mores or good manners; indecent or immodest.
- improper conduct
- Not according to facts; inaccurate or erroneous.
- Not consistent with established facts; incorrect.
- Not properly named; See, for example, improper fraction.
- Not specific or appropriate to individuals; general; common.
- Not to be adorned with any art but such improper ones as nature is said to bestow, as singing and poetry.1608, John Fletcher, The Faithful Shepherdess
- Of a complex random variable, correlated with its conjugate.
Verb
improper (third-person singular simple present impropers, present participle impropering, simple past and past participle impropered)
- To appropriate; to assign (something, to someone) as a possession or prerogative.
- He would in like manner improper and inclose the sunbeams to comfort the rich and not the poor.1565, John Jewel, letter to Thomas Harding
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:improper.
improper meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
improper in Hindi
- unsuitable to needs or circumstances
- अनुचित anucit
- not in keeping with conventional mores or good manners
- अशोभनीय aśobhnīya, अमर्यादित amaryādit
improper in Tamil
- உரியதல்லாத பொருத்தமற்ற தக்க தல்லாத, ஒழுங்கற்ற, ஒழுங்கில்லாத, தகவானதல்லாத, தகுதியற்ற, தவறான
improper in Marathi
- improper, unsuitable, inappropriate
- अयोग्य ayogya
- improper, out of line, dissolute, offensive, or socially unacceptable
- वावगे vāvge
improper in Urdu
- improper
- لغو lağv
More languagesFewer languages
- improper in Bengali
- অকার্য okarjo
- improper in Telugu
- అకార్యము akāryamu
- improper in Malayalam
- അനുചിതം, അനുയോജ്യമല്ലാത്ത, അരുതാത്ത, അസമീചീന
- improper in Kannada
- ಕೊಳಕು koḷaku
- improper in Punjabi
- غلط ġalat̤
- improper in Odia
- ବୁରା burā, ଅସୁନ୍ଦର asundara, ଦୁଷ୍ଟ duṣṭa
- improper in Sanskrit
- अकार्य akārya
- improper in Tagalog
- di-angkop, di-angkap
Examples of improper in a sentence
- Improper cooling and a dull milling cutter on titanium can gall the surface.
- Improper formatting is a red flag that you should look for other problems with the data.
- An improper placement of the prosthesis may cause wrap dislocation and aortic redilatation.
Synonyms of improper
Forms of improper
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more improper |
| superlative | most improper |
| alternative form (obsolete) | impropre |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | impropers |
| present participle | impropering |
| past participle | impropered |
| past | impropered |
Origin of improper
From Middle French impropre, from Latin improprius (“not proper”), from in- + proprius (“proper”). By surface analysis, im- + proper.
From Middle English empropren, perhaps from an unattested Anglo-Norman variant enproprier of Anglo-Norman apropr(i)er, approprier, related to modern French approprier.
Words formed from improper
- improper divisor
- improper face
- improper fit
- improper fraction
- improper integral
- improper motion
- improperness
- improper node
- improper noun
- improper orthogonal transformation
- improper rotation
- improper time
- improper use
- improper workmanship
Phrases with improper
Words that rhyme with improper
9 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about improper
- What does improper mean?
- Improper means unsuitable to needs or circumstances; inappropriate; inapt.
- What is improper in Hindi?
- Improper in Hindi is अनुचित (anucit), अशोभनीय (aśobhnīya), अमर्यादित (amaryādit). See Improper meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is improper?
- Improper can be an adjective or a verb.
- How do you pronounce improper?
- Improper is pronounced /ɪmˈpɹɒp.ə/ (UK).
Words near improper in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: improper (page history and authors); improper (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); अयोग्य (Marathi) (page history and authors); لغو (Urdu) (page history and authors); অকার্য (Bengali) (page history and authors); అకార్యము (Telugu) (page history and authors); improper (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); ಕೊಳಕು (Kannada) (page history and authors); غلط (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ଅସୁନ୍ଦର (Odia) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “improper.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/improper. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.