as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way
the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly
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Recent Examples of improperly
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, is facing an ethics complaint filed by a conservative organization alleging her campaign improperly used $19,000 in funds for a psychiatrist.
—
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The court documents also detail how the skull was stored and handled improperly, and that the coroner wasn't contacted until after law enforcement had already removed the skull from the scene.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Since the contract ended, documents show OVG has sought $5 million in damages from Dallas, saying the city improperly ended the agreement, refused to pay invoices for work performed before the termination and failed to reimburse certain expenses and investments.
—Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Two containers of cooked lamb were improperly cooling inside the reach-in cold top.
—Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
In a 2017 incident, police found Woods asleep behind the wheel of a car improperly parked on the road.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Violations included warm refrigerator temperatures, improper sink valves and improperly placed raw animal products.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has launched an internal investigation into whether graphic crime scene photos of a grenade explosion that killed three of their own were improperly shared, officials said.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Hur was assigned to investigate allegations that President Biden had improperly removed documents to his private residence after leaving the vice presidency in 2017.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The court documents also detail how the skull was stored and handled improperly, and that the coroner wasn't contacted until after law enforcement had already removed the skull from the scene.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Since the contract ended, documents show OVG has sought $5 million in damages from Dallas, saying the city improperly ended the agreement, refused to pay invoices for work performed before the termination and failed to reimburse certain expenses and investments.
—Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Two containers of cooked lamb were improperly cooling inside the reach-in cold top.
—Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
In a 2017 incident, police found Woods asleep behind the wheel of a car improperly parked on the road.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Violations included warm refrigerator temperatures, improper sink valves and improperly placed raw animal products.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has launched an internal investigation into whether graphic crime scene photos of a grenade explosion that killed three of their own were improperly shared, officials said.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Hur was assigned to investigate allegations that President Biden had improperly removed documents to his private residence after leaving the vice presidency in 2017.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
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The unanimous decision from a three-judge appeals panel upheld Peter’s conviction but found the lower court had incorrectly sentenced her and infringed on her freedom of speech.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The back-of-house hose was found incorrectly attached with no backflow preventor or air gap, causing potential dirty water to come back up from the sink.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire in the first days of the conflict in the midst of an Iranian air assault.—
Aamer Madhani,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The calamity in the Atlanta race quickly drew comparisons to other errors, where leaders have mistakenly followed lead cars exiting the race course shortly before the finish.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The Pitch reported in 2003 that the state had affirmed that King’s record was clean, and the charges were erroneously linked to his name.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the strait near Iran, only for the White House to concede no operation had occurred.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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The sick humor of an inappropriately large insect thrashing on the bed gives way to the morbid humor of the new family of three proceeding merrily with their small lives.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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