improperly

adverb

as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of improperly Now, Amy Helm has countersued the studio, alleging that her successor, Brian Parillo, used invalid corporate actions to take control of the famed music venue in Woodstock, New York, and improperly obtained voting power from Levon Helm’s widow. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026 What’s Happening Mycotoxins are toxins formed by molds that can grow on crops like grains and coffee beans if improperly stored. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 For now, there’s no proof that the Indigenous artifacts in Risley’s collection were improperly acquired, nor has a specific community established a claim to any of the objects identified in the court proceedings. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Cooked spices with oil were improperly cooling in a deep five gallon bucket. — Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 This is a really big step forward in enabling agentic tools on consumer systems, with a level of safety that protects your local data and hardware from a misbehaving or improperly set up agentic tool. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 Ryan is also facing additional charges for improperly storing firearms near a minor and receiving an untraceable firearm. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 The inspector general also wrote that a procurement agent improperly shared a vendor’s pricing information with the technology department on May 17, 2024, and the prices got in the hands of another vendor. — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026 The complaint accuses Love Renaissance of improperly diverting money from Walker’s touring, recording, marketing, and merchandising budgets, while charging excessive company expenses to those accounts in bad faith. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
  1. incorrectly
  2. mistakenly
  3. erroneously
  4. inappropriately
Adverb
  • More than this though, in scientific research, committing a Type 1 error — incorrectly believing there is sufficient evidence for a new claim when the claim is actually wrong — does not reflect poorly on the quality of the science done.
    — Mark Louie F. Ramos, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Others reacted to the post using letter emoji to spell out — incorrectly — a racial slur for Black people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of incorrectly
Adverb
  • Still, these costs sometimes get mistakenly passed on to the patient.
    — Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The state previously acknowledged that some people were mistakenly registered to vote through the DMV.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistakenly
Adverb
  • The law is supposed to prevent mistakes that could erroneously purge eligible voters right before an election without giving voters time to correct errors.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Fencebridge now denies that figure, stating that the comment was made erroneously, and the figure is closer to $24 million — $13 million for ammunition and $11 million for guns.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of erroneously
Adverb
  • There is also evidence that psychopathy evidence is being inappropriately relied on in death penalty cases.
    — David DeMatteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In November 2005, church volunteer Scott Preston Moore entered sleeping quarters at night and inappropriately touched two teenage boys.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of inappropriately

Browse Nearby Words

improper
improperly
improperness
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Cite this Entry

“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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