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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective proper differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of proper are appropriate, apt, felicitous, fitting, fit, happy, meet, and suitable. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

When would appropriate be a good substitute for proper?

Although the words appropriate and proper have much in common, appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

When can apt be used instead of proper?

The meanings of apt and proper largely overlap; however, apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When is it sensible to use felicitous instead of proper?

While in some cases nearly identical to proper, felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When is fit a more appropriate choice than proper?

In some situations, the words fit and proper are roughly equivalent. However, fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

When might fitting be a better fit than proper?

The words fitting and proper can be used in similar contexts, but fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

In what contexts can happy take the place of proper?

The words happy and proper are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

When could meet be used to replace proper?

The synonyms meet and proper are sometimes interchangeable, but meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

Where would suitable be a reasonable alternative to proper?

While the synonyms suitable and proper are close in meaning, suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

Example 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 proper This embarrassing revelation underscored how even experts can fall victim to AI's confident-sounding fabrications when proper verification processes aren't in place. Douglas B. Laney, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025 Its soft look provides a welcoming feeling when located along an entryway or at an entrance proper. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025 Assuming that the administrative use of AI is done with proper security and rigor, most clients or patients won’t especially care that the therapist is using AI in that manner. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025 For example, some foundations have not been regularly reconciling their accounts and have made some expenditures without proper prior approval or supporting documentation, such as receipts or invoices, according to the audit. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for proper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proper
Adjective
  • The pain of staying polite is losing the sale to someone bolder, faster, and clearer.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • But each polite knockback and odd digression throws out at least one casually sublime spark.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump and his appointees have loudly asserted that their vision for science in America is the correct one, representing truth rather than politics.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Without additional information, astronomers can't determine which of these possibilities is correct.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet these benefits will primarily help those that already have access to a bank—and not the more than one billion that still lack access to formal financial systems.
    Sopnendu Mohanty, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Kobe never laid out the Mamba Mentality as a formal, step-by-step framework.
    True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Keep your gripes within private conversations with colleagues, the bar association or the court, as appropriate.
    Peter Boyd, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • From developing a project's financial structure to securing appropriate permits and zoning permissions to actual site construction, developers face a potentially long road to realizing their projects.
    Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The law dropped the requirement to test drugs on animals for FDA approval when there’s other safety data from computer simulations or mini-organs satisfactory to regulators.
    Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • But because Cal West is building the park and will pay for its amenities, the city deemed the requirements satisfactory.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Here is what each weather prediction group says about its accuracy: AccuWeather claims to be the most accurate weather source for one to five day forecasts, according to a 2020 article.
    Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Both Trejo and Crowley rode in the 2025 Centennial Tucson Rodeo, a nice mirroring of the agency’s own 100-year history.
    Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The in-between woman has a nice corporate job in a nice corporate office.
    Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Spectrum's plans are suitable for households needing reliable speeds for multiple users.
    Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
  • While lawyers enjoy the same freedom of speech as anyone else, not every topic is suitable for comment.
    Peter Boyd, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Proper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proper. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

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