as in unsuitable
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
a bathing suit is inappropriate dress for strolling the streets of this seaside village
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inappropriate
Two siblings, both minors, identified Nunez-Guzman and accused him of inappropriate contact.
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Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Jan. 2026
Michigan fired coach Sherrone Moore for cause due to an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
When the coach did something inappropriate or abusive—ogling them in the showers, leaving his hand on their backsides a count or two too long, rubbing their thigh on a car ride to their homes—they’d simply grin and bear it.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Landing Underwood was the biggest recruiting win of Moore’s two-year tenure as head coach, which ended with Moore’s firing for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inappropriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriate
Adjective
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Soils that are high in peat moss are unsuitable for citrus trees.—
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These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities.—
Adjective
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Typically, the inspector general investigates schemes defrauding Medicare, improper payments -- such as to insurance companies to cover Medicaid members who had died -- and whether states are doing adequate oversight of providers in their borders.—
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Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg is also looking into the issue, initially identifying nearly 1,000 potentially improper PPP loans involving city employees.—
Adjective
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Everything was really incorrect for the period—shiny, sparkly, overdone—but the actual shapes and silhouettes of his clothes are quite accurate.—
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Avoid harsh or incorrect cleaners and follow manufacturer guidance to protect coatings, airflow, and internal components.—
Adjective
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As analysis, that’s not wrong, but where’s the sting of it inside this bizarre bonbon of a musical?—
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Despite his brilliance and intellect, he was prevented from having a full life by being born on the wrong side of Israel’s separation fence.—
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Adjective
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To receive one of these designations from a doctor in this era was to be marked as unfit for society and a candidate for potential institution and sterilization.—
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Families of victims, human rights defenders and international bodies such as the UN have criticized the commissions for a lack of transparency, for being ineffective and ultimately unfit for delivering accountability.—
Adjective
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Sure, pundits and Twitter philosophers love to portray bowl games as irrelevant relics of the past that nobody cares about anymore.—
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The characters are lying, to themselves and to each other, but the role of the audience in believing or not believing their lies is totally irrelevant.—
Cite this Entry
“Inappropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inappropriate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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