Crossword clues for impropriety
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Impropriety \Im`pro*pri"e*ty\, n.; pl. Improprieties. [L. improprietas; cf. F. impropri['e]t['e]. See Improper.]
The quality of being improper; unfitness or unsuitableness to character, time place, or circumstances; as, impropriety of behavior or manners.
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That which is improper; an unsuitable or improper act, or an inaccurate use of language.
But every language has likewise its improprieties and absurdities.
--Johnson.Many gross improprieties, however authorized by practice, ought to be discarded.
--Swift.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1610s, "quality or fact of being improper," from French impropriété (16c.), from Latin improprietas, from improprius (see improper). As "improper thing," 1670s.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context uncountable English) The condition of being improper. 2 (context countable English) An improper act. 3 Improper language.
WordNet
n. an improper demeanor [syn: improperness] [ant: propriety, propriety]
an indecent or improper act [syn: indecency]
an act of undue intimacy [syn: familiarity, indecorum, liberty]
Usage examples of "impropriety".
This lady was now somewhat past the age of thirty, an aera at which, in the opinion of the malicious, the title of old maid may with no impropriety be assumed.
Belli emitted a long mouthful at that, which John understood to convey the shock Belli felt at the impropriety of the employment of such language in a holy place before and under holy pictures.
To investigate White House improprieties and scandals, the evidence necessarily led to her hidden hands guiding the Clinton operation.
Such were the words by which I was everywhere introduced, and which, the moment they were uttered, called upon me the silent observation of every young man of my age and condition, the compliments of all fathers, and the caresses of old women, as well as the kisses of a few who, although not old, were not sorry to be considered so for the sake of embracing a young man without impropriety.
We were at least thirty at table every day, the dishes were delicate without undue profusion, the conversation gay and animated without any improprieties.
Sophia had in this fright so encreased, that he might now, without any great impropriety, be said to be actually in love with her.
The powers the convention grants or concedes to the United States are powers granted or conceded by the United States to the General government it assembled to organize and establish, which, as it extends over the whole population and territory of the Union, and, as the interests it is charged with relate to all the States in common, or to the people as a whole, is with no great impropriety called the government of the United States, in contradistinction from the State governments, which have each only a local jurisdiction.
And gorging at the trough of high-paid lobbyists gives the appearance of gross impropriety, if not gross stupidity.
Brother Stevens an object of worth and veneration only, they lacked necessarily all that keenness of discrimination which might have helped somewhat to qualify the improprieties of which they believed their son to be guilty.
The investigation was full of mistakes, but none of the D U S T T 0 D U S T allegations of impropriety bore fruit.
This life of pastoral impropriety lasted until the middle of August, when Marie Boyer came home from Lyons.
He was not opposed to carnality, although the Writ cautioned against impropriety and unnaturalness.
This done she took a pair of breeches, drew them on me, took them off, and tried on others, and all this without any impropriety on either side.
Ella was asleep in her boxroom, safe from the improprieties of her elder sisters.
They rode quietly into town and dined at the Railway Arms, where several townsmen greeted them, then turned away to discuss the impropriety of an English gentlewoman’s consorting with a cowboy.