Word
proprietary
Phoneticspro·pri·etary
US/pɹəˈpɹaɪəˌtɛɹi/
UK/pɹəpɹˈaɪətəɹi/
Definitions
01owned and protected
C1 · Advanced Law Technical · Academic
adj. describing something that is owned by a company and cannot be used or copied by others without permission.
adj. relating to an owner or ownership; specifically, manufactured and sold only by the owner of the intellectual property rights.
“The company uses proprietary software that no other business is allowed to buy.”
“The pharmaceutical giant maintains proprietary rights over the formula, preventing generic manufacturers from producing a cheaper version for the next decade.”
Usage
Often used before nouns like 'software', 'technology', or 'information'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02behaving like an owner
C2 · Proficiency Literary
adj. behaving as if you own something or someone, often in a way that shows you are protective or jealous.
adj. expressing or manifesting a sense of ownership or exclusive rights, often used to describe a person's protective attitude or physical stance.
“He put a proprietary arm around his daughter as the strangers approached.”
“She watched the restoration of the old house with a proprietary interest, despite having sold the property several months earlier.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03an owner
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Law Formal · Archaic
n. a person who owns a business or a piece of land.
n. an individual or entity that holds legal title to a property or business.
“The proprietary of the estate decided to open the gardens to the public.”
“The original charter granted the proprietary full authority over the colonial territory, including the right to collect taxes and appoint local officials.”
Teaching tip
In modern English, the noun 'proprietor' is much more common than using 'proprietary' as a noun.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Many remote sensing products rely on proprietary processing that researchers cannot fully access and verify, while some wildlife tracking devices provide only processed animal locations while withholding the underlying raw data.” “AI companies often offer models in proprietary, open-weight and smaller open-source versions .” “However, unlike proprietary systems that require costly licenses or restricted access, these resources are available to human service organizations at no cost.” “But that puts a field’s focus at the whim of companies that use proprietary, potentially biased, and often opaque mechanisms to decide which content to feature prominently.” Etymology
From French propriétaire, from Latin proprietārius. By surface analysis, propriety + -ary. Compare with the Latin proprietas (“property”) and proprius (“ownership”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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