noun
propriety
pruh-PREYE-uh-tee
noun
1
Correct or socially acceptable behaviour; good manners and decorum.
"She always behaved with great propriety at formal events."
"He questioned the propriety of accepting gifts from clients."
How to Use Propriety
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBehaving in a proper, socially correct way.
Common mistake
Easy to mix up with "property" — propriety is about correct behaviour, property is about ownership.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a sense of propriety
question the propriety of
social propriety
Word Forms
proprieties plural
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She always behaved with great _____ at formal events.
Etymology
From late Middle English propretee ("ownership"), from Anglo-Norman propreté, ultimately from Latin proprietas. A doublet of "property" — the two words diverged over centuries, with "propriety" keeping the sense of correctness and "property" keeping the sense of ownership.