appropriate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.right or suitable for a particular situation, person, or use.
adj.suitable or proper in the circumstances; socially or functionally correct.
Simple“It is important to wear appropriate clothes when you go for a job interview.”
In context“The manager decided that a formal written warning was the most appropriate response to the repeated safety violations.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'for' or 'to'.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
v.to take something for your own use, usually without the owner's permission.
v.to take something for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission or legal right.
Simple“The company was accused of trying to appropriate land that belonged to the local people.”
In context“The rebels were quick to appropriate the abandoned military vehicles to bolster their own transport capabilities.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to officially decide that an amount of money will be used for a specific purpose.
v.to devote money or assets to a special purpose, often through a formal legislative or corporate process.
Simple“The government will appropriate five million dollars for the new hospital wing.”
In context“The committee voted to appropriate additional funds for the urban renewal project after the initial budget proved insufficient.”
UsageCommonly used in government, legal, and accounting contexts.
Usage appropriate action · appropriate amount · appropriate behaviour
“Why did the Navy not communicate these problems early and often to families and the appropriate government officials?” it asked.”
“WHO wants to break this chain by bringing healthcare facilities closer to communities, better informing the public and transport providers, and promptly referring suspected cases to appropriate centres.”
From Middle English appropriaten, from appropriat (“appropriated”) + -en, borrowed from Latin appropriātus, perfect passive participle of appropriō (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + propriō (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, private”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix).
From Middle English appropriat (“appropriated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.