properly
Syllables: prop·er·lyUK/ˈpɹɒpəli/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
British/ˈpɾɔpəlɪj/
properly adverb: in a proper manner, appropriately, suitably; correctly, justifiably.
Adverb
properly (comparative more properly, superlative most properly)
- In a proper manner, appropriately, suitably; correctly, justifiably
- Does she think the repairs have been properly done?
- I know that I am spoiling your life that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I cant[sic] even write this properly.1941, Virginia Woolf, suicide note
- Synonyms:
- compliantly, duly, rightly, accordantly, accordingly, agreeably, appropriately, becomingly, conformably, consistently
- individually; in one's own manner.
- Synonyms:
- independently, singly, uniquely, absolutely, abstractedly, abstractly, apart, discretely, individually, separately
- Entirely; extremely; thoroughly.
- I was properly tired after that party.
- Synonyms:
- downright, quite, well and truly, absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, stone-cold, blind, altogether
properly meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
properly in Hindi
- in a proper manner
- ठीक से ṭhīk se, ठीक तरह से ṭhīk tarah se
properly in Tamil
- வினையுரிச்சொல்
properly in Marathi
- properly, neatly
- नीट nīṭ
properly in Urdu
- in a proper manner
- ٹھیک سے ṭhīk se
More languagesFewer languages
- properly in Bengali
- ন্যায়ত, যথাবৎ, সম্পূর্ণভাবে, সমগ্রভাবে
- properly in Telugu
- తిన్నగా tinnagā
- properly in Malayalam
- യഥാർത്ഥമായി, ശരിയായി, ഉചിതമാംവണ്ണം, ഉചിതമായി
- properly in Kannada
- ಎಯ್ದೆ, ಅಯ್ದೆ, ಐದೆ, ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ
- properly in Sanskrit
- साधु sādhu
- properly in Arabic
- كَمَا يَجِب kamā yajib, كَمَا يَنْبَغِي kamā yanbaḡī
- properly in Vietnamese
- tử tế
Examples of properly in a sentence
- I was at the docks seeing that the goods got properly unloaded.
- The chimney won’t draw properly if it’s clogged up with soot.
- The font wasn't able to render all the diacritical marks properly.
Synonyms of properly
- compliantly
- duly
- rightly
- accordantly
- accordingly
- agreeably
- appropriately
- becomingly
- conformably
- consistently
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of properly
| comparative | more properly |
|---|---|
| superlative | most properly |
Origin of properly
From proper + -ly.
Words formed from properly
Words that rhyme with properly
Questions about properly
- What does properly mean?
- Properly means in a proper manner, appropriately, suitably; correctly, justifiably.
- What is properly in Hindi?
- Properly in Hindi is ठीक से (ṭhīk se), ठीक तरह से (ṭhīk tarah se). See Properly meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is properly?
- Properly is an adverb.
- How do you pronounce properly?
- Properly is pronounced /ˈpɹɒpəli/ (UK).
Words near properly in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: properly (page history and authors); properly (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); नीट (Marathi) (page history and authors); properly (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); తిన్నగా (Telugu) (page history and authors); properly (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); properly (Kannada Wiktionary) (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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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-properly.ogg.
Cite this entry: “properly.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/properly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.