Impropriety
/ˌɪm.prəˈpraɪ.ə.ti/noun
The quality of being inappropriate, rude, or not in keeping with accepted standards.
Did you know?Impropriety comes from the same Latin root behind “proper,” so its oldest sense is about what does not belong to the right person, place, or time.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
improprietas
“lack of propriety; wrongness; unsuitability”
Late Latin
Latin
improprius
“not one’s own; unsuitable; improper”
Latin
Latin
proprius
“one’s own; special; belonging to oneself”
Old French
Old French
impropriete
“impropriety; unsuitability; lack of decorum”
14th–15th Century
English
impropriety
“lack of fitness or decorum; incorrectness”
Modern English
English
impropriety
“behavior or language that is not socially proper”
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