propriety
propriety Lexical Profile
propriety Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior, morals, or polite society.
"The diplomat conducted the sensitive negotiations with the utmost propriety and discretion."
The condition of being right, appropriate, or fitting for a particular purpose or circumstance.
"The audit committee questioned the legal propriety of transferring the funds without prior board approval."
The details or rules of conventional social behavior (usually used in the plural).
"In Victorian society, young aristocrats were expected to observe all the social proprieties at formal dinner parties."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'propriety' (conformity to accepted standards of behavior or morals) with 'property' (an owned possession or attribute), even though both share the same Latin root.
• Rhymes for propriety
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'propriete', from Latin 'proprietas' meaning 'ownership, peculiar nature, or appropriateness', derived from 'proprius' ('one's own, proper'). It is a doublet of 'property', which entered English earlier and retained the sense of material ownership.