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- pronunciation:
- pra
p
 r
- features:
- Word Builder, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
If something is proper, people think it is the correct or best thing for a certain purpose or occasion.
Maya's mother told her to put on proper clothes for church. She said she couldn't wear her old jeans.A fork is not a proper thing to eat soup with.If you don't use the proper equipment for mountain climbing, you could easily get injured.- synonyms:
- appropriate
- antonyms:
- wrong
- similar words:
- due, fit, right, suitable, tasteful
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| definition 2: |
When you do something in the proper way, you do it in a way that most people agree is the best way or according to the general rules for doing it.
Akiko's parents taught her how to use chopsticks in the proper way.Mr. Gates learned the proper way to make alphabet letters when he was in school, but he doesn't make them exactly that way anymore.- synonyms:
- correct, formal, right
- similar words:
- decent, fair, routine, tasteful
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| definition 3: |
If people talk about "the city proper," they mean the area that is truly and legally the city and not just some place near it. When we use the word "proper" in this way, we are talking about something in its exact meaning, and usually we are talking about a place.
You can drive on a small road around the park, but you can't drive in the park proper. |
| related words: |
accurate, civil, desirable, exact, formal, good, modest, moral, orderly, reasonable, regular, respectful, true |
| derivation: |
properness (n.) |
Word Builder: proper +
- properly:
in a proper way.
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