appropriate

1 of 2

adjective

ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ə-ˈprō-prē-ət How to pronounce appropriate (audio)
: especially suitable or compatible : fitting
an appropriate response
remarks appropriate to the occasion
appropriately adverb
appropriateness noun

appropriate

2 of 2

verb

ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt How to pronounce appropriate (audio)
appropriated; appropriating

transitive verb

1
: to take exclusive possession of : annex
No one should appropriate a common benefit.
2
: to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use
appropriate money for a research program
3
: to take or make use of without authority or right
natural habitats that have been appropriated for human use
appropriable adjective
appropriator noun

Did you know?

From its roots, the verb appropriate would mean basically "make one's own"—that is, "take", or sometimes "grab". Each year the President and Congress create a budget and appropriate funds for each item in it, funds which mostly come in the form of taxes from the public. In the House of Representatives, the powerful Appropriations Committee often gets the last word on how much money goes to each program. "Misappropriation of funds", on the other hand, is a nice way of saying "theft". If someone appropriated pieces of your novel, you might take him or her to court; and if you appropriated trade secrets from your former employers, you might be the one sued.

Choose the Right Synonym for appropriate

fit, suitable, meet, proper, appropriate, fitting, apt, happy, felicitous mean right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance.

fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

Examples of appropriate in a Sentence

Adjective More than almost anyone writing today, Slater, whose prose is astringent and sensuous by turn, reflects both a genuine feeling for and appreciation of foods appropriate to the season—and a tolerance for kitchen disasters. Cynthia Zarin, Gourmet, April 2007
Crepuscular means "pertaining to twilight." It sounds so lovely. I use the word as much as possible, even when it's not appropriate. Bob Berman, Astronomy, June 2006
While working as one of the exhibition curators, I was surprised to learn that, until the 1920s, ice cream was properly eaten with a fork, a cumbersome technique decried by none other than Florence Howe hall, the granddaughter of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". But if high society eventually agreed on a more appropriate utensil for eating the frozen-dessert, even the most au courant hostess may have had trouble deciding what kind of device should be used for serving it … Darra Goldstein, Saveur, June-July 2006
Three days. There was no way on this earth that proper due diligence could be done in such a limited time. For a merger of this magnitude, a week's worth of due diligence would have been more appropriate. Nina Munk, Vanity Fair, January 2004
Red wine would have been a more appropriate choice with the meal. The movie is perfectly appropriate to people of all ages. Verb From this source it was appropriated by Wilhelm Ropke in his effort to develop a social and political theory in which the market economy would be reconciled with the local community. Roger Scruton, National Review, 20 June 2005
Dr. Seuss's mother, also the daughter of German immigrants, was Henrietta Seuss, and when he appropriated the name for his books Dr. Seuss pronounced it in the German manner, "soice," until he realized that Americans naturally read the name as "soose," and that the American pronunciation of "Dr. Seuss" evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with—Mother Goose. Louis Menand, New Yorker, 23 & 30 Dec. 2002
Wales, in contrast, was officially appropriated into the United Kingdom by Henry VIII's Acts of Union, in 1536 and 1543, before it had developed the apparatus of a modern state. Pamela Petro, Atlantic, April 1999
The town has appropriated funds to repair the bridge and work should begin this summer. The economy has been weakened by corrupt officials who have appropriated the country's resources for their own use. Elements of the design were appropriated from other architects. The term “bad” has been appropriated by teenagers as a synonym for “good.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Dear Miss Manners: My husband and I disagree on the appropriate protocol when attending a neighborhood social event not specifically described as a potluck. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Another way to model appropriate online behavior is through your use of social media, says Erin O’Connor, EdD, a professor in teaching and learning at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and Chief of Education at Cooper. Sarah Scott, Parents, 12 Mar. 2024 Bellino’s lawyer, Jeff Anderson, responded that Tyler’s lawyers failed to serve their motion to dismiss on Bellino, so she wasn’t given the appropriate time to reply. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024 Our team cares deeply about our patients and they are trained to take timely, appropriate action in the event of an emergency. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Now, this spring—the Lenten timing is appropriate, perhaps, for this God-haunted writer—there’s a Shanley double bill. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Jimmy Kimmel is a competent host, and did a satisfying job as the evening’s emcee, but passing the reins to a new stand-up comic with the right sensibilities and love of movies to highlight an evening such as the Oscars is more than appropriate at this point. Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The collection of feminine chainmail was a subtle play on power dressing — appropriate for the movie’s message of female empowerment. Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 The good news, especially for those who are a bit shy, is that shorter toasts are actually more impactful and appropriate. Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Today Hailey Bieber joined the likes of many a young urban professional in the quest to appropriate utility-wear. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 But lawmakers ultimately appropriated just $500 million for the hubs. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Adult autism clinics often don’t take insurance either, adding more barriers to appropriate care. Katie Camero, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 The crux of Vance’s claim rests on a mechanism in the bill that ensures the availability of the funds Congress appropriates through the fall of 2025. Noah Rothman, National Review, 12 Feb. 2024 Investing in veterans More than $3.21 million has already been appropriated from the state’s general fund to the project, while the city is contributing the land, valued at just over $3.84 million. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2024 In time, China may simply appropriate Russia’s Crimean playbook, employing similar tactics to sidestep Moscow’s hopes of staking Russia’s territorial integrity on an often-unreliable nuclear deterrent. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 This will require resources which the president should try to obtain through a national-emergency declaration — just as Trump did — now that Congress won’t appropriate money. Daniel Di Martino, National Review, 14 Feb. 2024 Vile was a San Francisco publication that emerged in the mid-seventies, inspired by a Toronto one called File; both appropriated the red-and-white logo from Life magazine. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'appropriate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin appropriatus, past participle of appropriare, from Latin ad- + proprius own

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of appropriate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near appropriate

Cite this Entry

“Appropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appropriate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

appropriate

1 of 2 verb
ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt How to pronounce appropriate (audio)
appropriated; appropriating
1
: to take for one's own often without right
2
: to set apart for a particular purpose or use
appropriate funds for research

appropriate

2 of 2 adjective
ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ə-ˈprō-prē-ət How to pronounce appropriate (audio)
: especially suitable or fitting
appropriately adverb
appropriateness noun

Legal Definition

appropriate

transitive verb
ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt How to pronounce appropriate (audio)
appropriated; appropriating
1
: to set apart for or assign to a particular recipient, purpose, or use
the legislature appropriating funds for the program
2
: to take or make use of without authority or right
appropriation noun
Etymology

Transitive verb

Late Latin appropriare to take possession of, from ad to, for + proprius one's own

More from Merriam-Webster on appropriate

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