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
Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Closed proprietary models present their own challenges.
—Tharin Pillay, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
The new proprietary thread for T-shirts and sweatshirts is 50 percent recycled cotton and 50 percent organic cotton.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
Most notably, the proprietary eGPU port of the original has been removed entirely.
—Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for proprietary 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The company has developed a business offering working with bond placement agents and aggregators to establish proprietary, investment-grade bond offerings, providing analytics and advisement support.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Closed proprietary models present their own challenges.
—Tharin Pillay, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
The new proprietary thread for T-shirts and sweatshirts is 50 percent recycled cotton and 50 percent organic cotton.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
Most notably, the proprietary eGPU port of the original has been removed entirely.
—Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 2 Nov. 2024
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 Nov. 2024.
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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