What does propriety mean?
Word: Propriety
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Propriety means correct and polite behaviour of the kind that society expects.
How do you spell propriety?
Syllables: pro - pri - e - ty
Tricky part: It is easy to slip into property, which looks close but means something else. The letters after the second r are the ones that change.
Watch out for: propriaty, proprity, propreity
Memory tip: Propriety is what society asks of us, and the two words end in the same four letters.
Propriety in a sentence
Example 1: Aunt Latha is a stickler for propriety, even at a picnic.
Example 2: The young officer behaved with perfect propriety throughout the ceremony.
Example 3: Nobody questioned the propriety of thanking the volunteers by name.
Fun Fact
The word comes from Latin proprius, one's own. In older English it meant the special quality of a thing, and the sense of good manners came later.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the one spelt correctly.
1. humilty 2. propriety 3. camraderie 4. prestiege
a) a modest view of one's own importance
b) respect earned by success or high standing
c) friendship and trust among people who work together
d) standards of proper conduct in formal company
Show answer
d) standards of proper conduct in formal company. Propriety is correct as printed; camaraderie, prestige and humility are the right forms of the others.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
pr_p_iety
a) e, r
b) a, r
c) o, r
d) o, l
Show answer
c) o, r. The word opens with pro, and its next syllable starts with the same two consonants.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Uncle always insists on yprrteiop at formal dinners, down to the way the forks are laid.
a) priority
b) propriety
c) prosperity
d) proximity
Show answer
b) propriety. Two p's and an e appear, with no s, x or m, and that decides it.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word propriety as used in the sentence:
The principal expects propriety from every pupil who represents the school at the state function.
a) mischief
b) haste
c) decorum
d) ownership
Show answer
c) decorum. The principal wants good, dignified conduct, and decorum means exactly that.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. At a formal prize-giving, what does propriety call for?
a) chatting cheerfully during the anthem
b) leaving early before the speeches begin
c) calling out the winners' names aloud
d) sitting quietly and thanking the guests
Show answer
d) sitting quietly and thanking the guests
2. An official questions the propriety of a decision. What is the doubt about?
a) whether it was announced too late
b) whether it was made too slowly
c) whether it was the right thing to do
d) whether it cost a little too much
Show answer
c) whether it was the right thing to do
