prop·er (pr p  r)adj. 1. Characterized by appropriateness or suitability; fitting: the proper knife for cutting bread; not a proper moment for a joke. 2. Called for by rules or conventions; correct: the proper form for a business letter. 3. Strictly following rules or conventions, especially in social behavior; seemly: a proper lady; a proper gentleman. 4. a. Belonging to one; own: restored to his proper shape by the magician. b. Characteristically belonging to the being or thing in question; peculiar: an optical effect proper to fluids. 5. Being within the strictly limited sense, as of a term designating something: the town proper, excluding the suburbs. 6. Ecclesiastical For use in the liturgy of a particular feast or season of the year. 7. Mathematics Of or relating to a subset of a given set when the set has at least one element not in the subset. 8. Worthy of the name; true: wanted a proper dinner, not just a snack. 9. Out-and-out; thorough: a proper whipping. adv. Thoroughly: beat the eggs good and proper. n. Ecclesiastical also Proper The parts of the liturgy that vary according to the particular feast or season of the year. [Middle English propre, from Old French, from Latin proprius; see per1 in Indo-European roots.] prop er·ly adv.prop er·ness n. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | properness - correct or appropriate behavior demeanor, demeanour, deportment, behaviour, conduct, behavior - (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people decorousness, decorum - propriety in manners and conduct appropriateness, rightness - appropriate conduct; doing the right thing correctness - the quality of conformity to social expectations good form - behavior that conforms to social conventions of the time; "it is not good form to brag about winning" priggishness, primness - exaggerated and arrogant properness seemliness, grace - a sense of propriety and consideration for others; "a place where the company of others must be accepted with good grace" decency - the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality improperness, impropriety - an improper demeanor |
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