propriety
noun
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In an earlier era, when social manners were far more elaborate than they are today, propriety and impropriety were words in constant use. Today we're more likely to use them in other contexts. We may talk about the propriety of government officials' dealings with private citizens, the propriety of the relationship between a lawyer and a judge, or the impropriety of speaking out of turn in a meeting that follows Robert's rules of order. Relations between men and women still present questions of propriety, but today it's often in the workplace rather than in social settings. Wherever rules, principles, and standard procedures have been clearly stated, propriety can become an issue. Something improper usually isn't actually illegal, but it makes people uncomfortable by giving the impression that something isn't quite right.
Examples of propriety in a Sentence
Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings … , 1996
His austere and basically humble personality imposes a curious damp propriety upon his memorial.
—John Updike, New Yorker, 1 July 1991
In contemporary America the appearance of prosperity is all too often taken as a sign of propriety.
—Jack Beatty, Atlantic, December 1989
She conducted herself with propriety.
They debated the propriety of the punishment that he was given.
When attending a wedding, there are certain proprieties that must be observed.
Essence, 28 Sep. 2024
There was more privacy back then, a certain propriety and distance that people gave one another.
—Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
The hilarity of people worrying about toy safety/propriety is timeless.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
The raw pleasures of the flesh cede to the propriety of form with almost antiseptic elegance.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for propriety 
Dictionary Entries Near propriety
Cite this Entry
“Propriety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propriety. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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