Impropriety
noun
Something that is not suitable or not proper in particular condition or situation.
The impropriety of using campaign funds for personal expenses was not lost on the voters.
Often appears as...
- commit an impropriety
- accused of impropriety
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A behavior or act that is against moral or social standards.
Any hint of impropriety can ruin a politician's career.
Often appears as...
- guilty of impropriety
- alleged impropriety
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
Something that is not suitable or not proper in particular condition or situation.
The impropriety of using campaign funds for personal expenses was not lost on the voters.
Often appears as...
- commit an impropriety
- accused of impropriety
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A behavior or act that is against moral or social standards.
Any hint of impropriety can ruin a politician's career.
Often appears as...
- guilty of impropriety
- alleged impropriety
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Context Matters
Impropriety varies by culture. What's proper in one society may be improper in another.
Wearing shorts to a business meeting may be seen as an impropriety in some cultures.
Pro Tip 2/3Perception of Wrong
'Impropriety' often implies a public perception of something being unsuitable, rather than a personal opinion.
The director faced criticism for the perceived impropriety of his decisions.
Pro Tip 3/3Subtle Incorrectness
The word is used for slight misalignments with expected behavior or norms, not always for severe wrongdoing.
There was a sense of impropriety in his informal dress at the formal event.
Pro Tip 1/3Context Matters
Impropriety varies by culture. What's proper in one society may be improper in another.
Wearing shorts to a business meeting may be seen as an impropriety in some cultures.
Pro Tip 2/3Perception of Wrong
'Impropriety' often implies a public perception of something being unsuitable, rather than a personal opinion.
The director faced criticism for the perceived impropriety of his decisions.
Pro Tip 3/3Subtle Incorrectness
The word is used for slight misalignments with expected behavior or norms, not always for severe wrongdoing.
There was a sense of impropriety in his informal dress at the formal event.
Pro Tip 1/3Context Matters
Impropriety varies by culture. What's proper in one society may be improper in another.
Wearing shorts to a business meeting may be seen as an impropriety in some cultures.
Pro Tip 2/3Perception of Wrong
'Impropriety' often implies a public perception of something being unsuitable, rather than a personal opinion.
The director faced criticism for the perceived impropriety of his decisions.
Pro Tip 3/3Subtle Incorrectness
The word is used for slight misalignments with expected behavior or norms, not always for severe wrongdoing.
There was a sense of impropriety in his informal dress at the formal event.
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Video examples
How (and why) Russia...
to decipher and characterize. If you can get a hashtag trending on Twitter, or chum the waters with fake news directed to audiences primed to receive it, or drive journalists to dissect terabytes of email for a cent of impropriety --
Video examples
How (and why) Russia...
to decipher and characterize. If you can get a hashtag trending on Twitter, or chum the waters with fake news directed to audiences primed to receive it, or drive journalists to dissect terabytes of email for a cent of impropriety --
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Jane Austen
British Writer
Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness and fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be most endearing to the latter.
Quote examples
Michael Wolff
American Author
Unlike financial impropriety, which needs to be proven, a charge of sexual loutishness and aggressiveness in and of itself can finish you off. Does the man match the charge? To be the kind of man who would be accused of being so gross is guilt enough.
Quote examples
David Josiah Brewer
American Judge
I believe it is conceded that, notwithstanding the fabled blue laws of New England, a man may, without impropriety, kiss his wife on Sunday and possibly, if he have a chance, some other sweet-faced woman.
Quote examples
Gary Hamel
American Businessman
An uplifting sense of purpose is more than an impetus for individual accomplishment, it is also a necessary insurance policy against expediency and impropriety.
Quote examples
Michael Wolff
American Author
Next to financial impropriety, being charged with a reckless pursuit of women is certainly the most damaging thing you can accuse a public person of.
Quote examples
Lucy McBath
American Politician
Our elections are too important to risk even the appearance of impropriety.
Quote examples
W. Somerset Maugham
British Playwright
Impropriety is the soul of wit.
Quote examples
Jane Austen
British Writer
Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness and fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be most endearing to the latter.
Quote examples
Michael Wolff
American Author
Unlike financial impropriety, which needs to be proven, a charge of sexual loutishness and aggressiveness in and of itself can finish you off. Does the man match the charge? To be the kind of man who would be accused of being so gross is guilt enough.
Quote examples
David Josiah Brewer
American Judge
I believe it is conceded that, notwithstanding the fabled blue laws of New England, a man may, without impropriety, kiss his wife on Sunday and possibly, if he have a chance, some other sweet-faced woman.
Quote examples
Gary Hamel
American Businessman
An uplifting sense of purpose is more than an impetus for individual accomplishment, it is also a necessary insurance policy against expediency and impropriety.
Quote examples
Michael Wolff
American Author
Next to financial impropriety, being charged with a reckless pursuit of women is certainly the most damaging thing you can accuse a public person of.
Quote examples
Lucy McBath
American Politician
Our elections are too important to risk even the appearance of impropriety.
Quote examples
W. Somerset Maugham
British Playwright
Impropriety is the soul of wit.
Example 1 of 7
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