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adj. 1. Not suited to circumstances or needs; unsuitable: improper shoes for a hike; improper medical treatment. 2. Not in keeping with conventional mores; indecorous: improper behavior; an improper suggestion. See Synonyms at unseemly. 3. Not consistent with established truth, fact, or rule; incorrect: improper grammar; an improper conclusion. 4. Irregular or abnormal: complications due to improper functioning of the immune system. im·proper·ly adv. im·proper·ness n. |
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