Standard Lemma guide

improperly

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ɪmˈpɹɑ.pɚ.li/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P R AA1 P ER0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In an improper manner; not properly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: immorally, indecently, wrongly, illicitly, immodestly, improperly, incontinently, reprehensibly, unchastely, unseemly, unvirtuously, wickedly, wrongfully

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

in an improper way

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he checked whether the wound had healed improperly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: properly

History

Etymology

From Middle English improprelich, impropreliche, impropurly, inproperlye; equivalent to improper + -ly or im- + properly.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: inadequadament — in an improper manner
  • Czech: nepatřičně — in an improper manner
  • Czech: nesprávně — in an improper manner
  • Czech: nevhodně — in an improper manner
  • Czech: nedostatečně — in an improper manner
  • French: improprement — in an improper manner
  • Italian: inadeguatamente — in an improper manner
  • Italian: a sproposito — in an improper manner
  • Latin: ūsūrpātīvē — in an improper manner
  • Portuguese: inadequadamente — in an improper manner
  • Spanish: impropriamente — in an improper manner
  • Spanish: impropiamente — in an improper manner