improper

English

Alternative forms

• impropre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French impropre, from Latin improprius (“not proper”), from in- + proprius (“proper”), equivalent to im- +‎ proper.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɒp.ə/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɔp.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɑ.pɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɒpə(ɹ)

Adjective

improper (comparative more improper, superlative most improper)

1. unsuitable to needs or circumstances; inappropriate; inapt
2. Not in keeping with conventional mores or good manners; indecent or immodest

   improper conduct

3. Not according to facts; inaccurate or erroneous
4. Not consistent with established facts; incorrect
5. Not properly named; See, for example, improper fraction
6. (obsolete) Not specific or appropriate to individuals; general; common.
   • 1608, John Fletcher, The Faithful Shepherdess:

     Not to be adorned with any art but such improper ones as nature is said to bestow, as singing and poetry.

7. (mathematics) Of a complex random variable, correlated with its conjugate

Synonyms

• unproper (obsolete or rare)

Derived terms

Terms derived from improper

• improper divisor
• improper face
• improper fit
• improper fraction
• improper integral
• improper motion
• improper node
• improper noun
• improper orthogonal transformation
• improper rotation
• improper use
• improper workmanship

Translations

unsuitable to needs or circumstances

• Basque: ezegoki
• Bulgarian: неподходящ (bg) (nepodhodjašt), неуместен (bg) (neumesten)
• Catalan: impropi
• Dutch: ongepast (nl)
• Finnish: sopimaton (fi)
• French: impropre (fr), inapproprié (fr), inadapté (fr)
• German: unpassend (de)
• Japanese: そぐわない (soguwanai), 不適切な (ja) (futekisetsu na)
• Latin: improprius
• Norwegian: upassende (no), uegnet
• Portuguese: impróprio (pt)
• Romanian: impropriu (ro)
• Russian: неуме́стный (ru) (neuméstnyj), неподходя́щий (ru) (nepodxodjáščij)
• Slovak: nevhodný
• Slovene: neprimeren
• Tagalog: di-angkop
• Turkish: uygunsuz (tr)

not in keeping with conventional mores or good manners

• Armenian: անպիտան (hy) (anpitan), անվայել (hy) (anvayel)
• Bulgarian: неприличен (bg) (nepriličen), непристоен (bg) (nepristoen)
• Catalan: impropi
• Danish: upassende, uanstændig
• Dutch: ongeschikt (nl), misplaatst (nl)
• Finnish: säädytön (fi), sopimaton (fi)
• French: impropre (fr), inconvenant (fr), grossier (fr)
• German: unhöflich (de)
• Irish: aindílis
• Latin: indecens
• Norwegian: upassende (no), uanstendig (no)
• Portuguese: impróprio (pt), indecente (pt), indecoroso (pt)
• Russian: непристо́йный (ru) (nepristójnyj), неприли́чный (ru) (neprilíčnyj)
• Sanskrit: अकार्य (sa) (akārya)
• Slovak: nevhodný
• Tagalog: di-angkap
• Turkish: uygunsuz (tr), yakışıksız (tr)

Not according to facts

• Bulgarian: неточен (bg) (netočen), неправилен (bg) (nepravilen)
• Dutch: onjuist (nl), foutief (nl)
• Finnish: väärä (fi)
• Norwegian: uriktig, feilaktig, urettmessig (no)
• Portuguese: impróprio (pt), incorreto (pt)
• Russian: непра́вильный (ru) (neprávilʹnyj), оши́бочный (ru) (ošíbočnyj), ло́жный (ru) (lóžnyj)
• Slovak: nesprávny
• Turkish: yanlış (tr)

Not consistent with established facts

• Dutch: inconsistent (nl), foutief (nl)
• Norwegian: uriktig
• Portuguese: impróprio (pt), incorreto (pt)
• Russian: непра́вильный (ru) (neprávilʹnyj)
• Slovak: nesprávny

Not properly named

• Catalan: impropi
• Dutch: verkeerd omschreven
• French: impropre (fr)
• Japanese: そぐわない (soguwanai), 不適切な (ja) (futekisetsu na)
• Norwegian: feilaktig
• Portuguese: impróprio (pt)

Verb

improper (third-person singular simple present impropers, present participle impropering, simple past and past participle impropered)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To appropriate; to limit.
   • 1565, John Jewel, letter to Thomas Harding:

     He would in like manner improper and inclose the sunbeams to comfort the rich and not the poor.

2. (obsolete) To behave improperly

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “improper”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• impropre