as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way
she inappropriately referred to my chaperone as my father, and not as my stepfather
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Recent Examples of inappropriately
Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.
—
Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Users are encouraged to report anyone on the site who sends offensive or abusive messages, or who behaves inappropriately on dates.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Members of both parties have criticized the Justice Department's handling of the files' release, arguing that some files were inappropriately withheld or excessively redacted.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
But when the listener really values the truth, then even hearing something outrageously blunt or inappropriately timed can be made righteous – if it is used by the listener to become more self-aware and to make better decisions moving forward.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Clausen noted that, although voter registration data can be legally requested from county election offices, the data in this case may have been used inappropriately.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
He was being inappropriately prosecuted for his son Colt’s actions, not his own, Berry argued.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Caleb Crawford was convicted in 2016 of inappropriately touching his 12-year-old cousin.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Users are encouraged to report anyone on the site who sends offensive or abusive messages, or who behaves inappropriately on dates.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Members of both parties have criticized the Justice Department's handling of the files' release, arguing that some files were inappropriately withheld or excessively redacted.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
But when the listener really values the truth, then even hearing something outrageously blunt or inappropriately timed can be made righteous – if it is used by the listener to become more self-aware and to make better decisions moving forward.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Clausen noted that, although voter registration data can be legally requested from county election offices, the data in this case may have been used inappropriately.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
He was being inappropriately prosecuted for his son Colt’s actions, not his own, Berry argued.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Caleb Crawford was convicted in 2016 of inappropriately touching his 12-year-old cousin.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriately
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
-
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
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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
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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
-
In 2024, Abbott recalled several lots of Libre 3 sensors due to inaccurately high readings.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Trump was inaccurately describing federal data.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inappropriately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inappropriately. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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