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as in manner
proprieties plural personal conduct or behavior as evaluated by an accepted standard of appropriateness for a social or professional setting an etiquette columnist who insists that traditional proprieties are necessary in order to maintain a civil society

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of propriety There was more privacy back then, a certain propriety and distance that people gave one another. Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024 The hilarity of people worrying about toy safety/propriety is timeless. Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024 The raw pleasures of the flesh cede to the propriety of form with almost antiseptic elegance. Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024 Victorian dress was rife with symbolism and evolved around rigid codes of propriety and caste. Emili Vesilind, CNN, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for propriety 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propriety
Noun
  • Jacqueline Whitmore is an etiquette expert and the founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, Florida.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Influences have a way of appearing, like family traits, in idiosyncratic details such as the turn of a head or position of a hand, but here the steps and styles have been stripped of attitude and etiquette, to their elemental forms.
    Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The American cowboy is an aspirational bastion of masculinity, and as Costner proves, of manners.
    Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Headings are solely for convenience of reference and will not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of the documents or any provision hereof.
    USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • During the vote, Democrats and Republicans maintained decorum, with each party clapping for their candidate as tellers read the votes.
    Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Stella's eating of the body of Jesus had nothing to do with decorum.
    Gwen Faulkenberry, arkansasonline.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The first postponement occurred because Baldwin contested the validity of the debt.
    Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Both Pettersson and Miller have denied that there is any validity to these rumors whatsoever, but even so, the effects of the negativity surrounding the Canucks has taken its toll.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • And, in extreme situations, basic decency demands aiding those in need.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2025
  • These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Carter used his political anonymity to his advantage, running as an outsider who could bring to Washington just the type of integrity and personal morality needed in the aftermath of the Watergate era.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2024
  • Elected in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, the former governor of Georgia, ran as a Washington outsider and rose to the White House with a strong sense of morality, an engineer's mind and a progressive, moderate approach to governing.
    Grace Segers, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The story is set in the aftermath of the real-life Chavez Ravine evictions, a dark moment in the history of Los Angeles with very real modern-day relevance.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Modern buyers often crave a mix of authenticity, relevance and scarcity, reshaping how industries collaborate to meet these needs.
    Vincent Gregoire, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • His insights extend beyond real estate, encompassing broader principles of financial prudence and personal development.
    Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Their prudence is warranted since the business case supporting DEI programs and their ideological underpinnings is losing ground as more research emerges.
    Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near propriety

Cite this Entry

“Propriety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propriety. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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