pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē 
plural proprietaries
1
: one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive right to something
specifically
: proprietor sense 1
2
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (such as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
3
: a business secretly owned by and run as a cover for an intelligence organization
pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an owner or title holder
proprietary rights
2
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary process
proprietary software
3
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary clinic
Did you know?
A proprietary process is a manufacturing process that others are forbidden to use, and a proprietary trademark is a name that only the owner can use. Legal rights of this kind are ensured by copyrights and patents. After a certain period of time, inventions and processes lose their legal protection, cease to be proprietary, and enter the "public domain", meaning that everyone can use them freely. Baseball fans often take a proprietary attitude toward their favorite team—that is, they behave more or less as if they own it, even though the only thing they may own is the right to yell from a bleacher seat till the end of a game.
Examples of proprietary in a Sentence
Adjective
By allowing less favorable results to remain buried, the agency puts proprietary interests ahead of the public interest, and doctors and the public come to believe prescription drugs are better than they are. That should stop.
—
Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006
It is a proprietary faith: no one better tell me what to do with my own land.
—Lance Morrow, Time, 11 Sept. 2000
Many veterans have adopted a proprietary attitude toward the war, and they can get a bit belligerent about it.
—Nicholas Proffitt, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 1989
The investors have a proprietary interest in the land.
The computer comes with the manufacturer's proprietary software.
“Merriam-Webster” is a proprietary name.
The journalist tried to get access to proprietary information.
Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006
It is a proprietary faith: no one better tell me what to do with my own land.
—Lance Morrow, Time, 11 Sept. 2000
Many veterans have adopted a proprietary attitude toward the war, and they can get a bit belligerent about it.
—Nicholas Proffitt, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 1989
The investors have a proprietary interest in the land.
The computer comes with the manufacturer's proprietary software.
“Merriam-Webster” is a proprietary name.
The journalist tried to get access to proprietary information.
Recent Examples on the Web
PCMAG, 8 Feb. 2025
Peg Leg Porker uses a proprietary dry rub on their pork that imbues it with salt and spice, and the hickory wood used for smoking lends a flavor dynamic that’s a signature of Tennessee BBQ.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
The game was moving from a proprietary engine to Unity.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
The celebrity facialist, also known as Iván Pol, who debuted a line of skin care products by the same name as his proprietary method, is setting up shop in the Mandarin Oriental Residences, Fifth Avenue.
—James Manso, WWD, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proprietary 
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Adjective
The laptop's left side holds a 40Gbps USB4 Type-C port, an HDMI port for an external monitor, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a proprietary (not USB-C) connector for the AC adapter.
—PCMAG, 8 Feb. 2025
Peg Leg Porker uses a proprietary dry rub on their pork that imbues it with salt and spice, and the hickory wood used for smoking lends a flavor dynamic that’s a signature of Tennessee BBQ.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
The game was moving from a proprietary engine to Unity.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
The celebrity facialist, also known as Iván Pol, who debuted a line of skin care products by the same name as his proprietary method, is setting up shop in the Mandarin Oriental Residences, Fifth Avenue.
—James Manso, WWD, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proprietary
Dictionary Entries Near proprietary
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietary. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
proprietary
1 of 2 noun
pro·pri·e·tary
p(r)ə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
plural proprietaries
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
proprietary
2 of 2 adjective1
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary drug
2
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary clinic
Legal Definition
proprietary
1 of 2 noun
pro·pri·e·tary
prə-ˈprī-ə-ˌter-ē
plural proprietaries
1
: something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker
specifically
: a drug (as a patent medicine) that is protected by secrecy, patent, or copyright against free competition as to name, product, composition, or process of manufacture
2
: a business secretly owned by and run as a cover for an intelligence operation
proprietary
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: held as property of a private owner
b
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a proprietor
proprietary rights
2
: used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right
a proprietary process
3
: privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization
a proprietary insurer
a proprietary clinic
4
: of or relating to the acts of a municipality which profit or benefit the municipality and for which it is answerable in negligence
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