adj
appropriate
uh-PROH-pree-ayt
adj
1
Suitable or correct for a particular situation.
"Jeans aren't appropriate for a job interview."
"The teacher gave age-appropriate feedback to each student."
verb
1
To take something for one's own use, often without permission.
"The government appropriated the land to build a new road."
How to Use Appropriate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAs an adjective: fitting or suitable for the situation. As a verb (more formal/legal): to take something for a particular use.
Common mistake
The verb and adjective are pronounced differently: the adjective ends softer ("-it"), the verb ends with a harder "-ate" sound.
Common pairings
appropriate behaviour
appropriate for
appropriate funds
Word Forms
more appropriate comparative, appropriated past tense, appropriates singular, most appropriate superlative
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Etymology
From Latin appropriare, "to make one's own," from proprius, "one's own, private" — the same root as property and proper.