- (a.) Becoming in appearance; well formed; handsome.
- (a.) Belonging to the natural or essential constitution; peculiar; not common; particular; as, every animal has his proper instincts and appetites.
- (a.) Belonging to one; one's own; individual.
- (adv.) Properly; hence, to a great degree; very; as, proper good.
- (a.) Pertaining to one of a species, but not common to the whole; not appellative; -- opposed to common; as, a proper name; Dublin is the proper name of a city.
- (a.) Represented in its natural color; -- said of any object used as a charge.
- (a.) Befitting one's nature, qualities, etc.; suitable in all respect; appropriate; right; fit; decent; as, water is the proper element for fish; a proper dress.
- (a.) Rightly so called; strictly considered; as, Greece proper; the garden proper.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). proper. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/proper/definitions/2049893 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "proper" http://smartdefine.org/proper/definitions/2049893 (accessed September 23, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, proper, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/proper/definitions/2049893>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "proper" 27 May 2011. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/proper/definitions/2049893> |