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the manufacturer's warranty is no longer valid if the appliance is used improperly
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Recent Examples of improperly
There are sometimes mid-decade redistrictings, including the one in Florida in 2015 after the state Supreme Court ruled some districts were improperly drawn.
—
Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Authorities recovered 189 sets of remains from the Penrose building and said two other bodies were improperly buried.
—Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors said the Hallfords improperly stored at least 189 decomposing bodies between 2019 and 2023.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department alleges that the civil rights group known as the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to secretly pay leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist and extremist groups for inside information.
—Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
Carniceria Lopez was reinspected on Wednesday, April 22 and received an additional yellow placard after finding food improperly cooling.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In oral arguments on Thursday, his attorney Jennifer Bonjean argued that the trial court improperly withheld salacious Facebook messages between the victim and Pascal Vicedomini, the proprietor of an Italian film festival.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Medication Storage Safety Some medications may become less effective before their expiration dates if stored improperly.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 22 Apr. 2026
Later, Neon discovered its own errors in Elliott’s accounting statements, one being a $30,000 expense that should have been catalogued under its moon landing doc Apollo 11 that was improperly charged to Amazing Grace.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Authorities recovered 189 sets of remains from the Penrose building and said two other bodies were improperly buried.
—Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors said the Hallfords improperly stored at least 189 decomposing bodies between 2019 and 2023.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department alleges that the civil rights group known as the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to secretly pay leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist and extremist groups for inside information.
—Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
Carniceria Lopez was reinspected on Wednesday, April 22 and received an additional yellow placard after finding food improperly cooling.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In oral arguments on Thursday, his attorney Jennifer Bonjean argued that the trial court improperly withheld salacious Facebook messages between the victim and Pascal Vicedomini, the proprietor of an Italian film festival.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Medication Storage Safety Some medications may become less effective before their expiration dates if stored improperly.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 22 Apr. 2026
Later, Neon discovered its own errors in Elliott’s accounting statements, one being a $30,000 expense that should have been catalogued under its moon landing doc Apollo 11 that was improperly charged to Amazing Grace.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improperly
Adverb
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Because every experience a child has during their early years helps create new neural connections, wiring the brain for all future learning and connecting, encounters with AI slop may literally wire the brain incorrectly.—
Dana Suskind,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
It is being framed incorrectly.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Like most, Gore mistakenly credited it to Gandhi.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
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Brown has also accused the narcotics unit that mistakenly targeted him of a pattern of misconduct, which allegedly includes the wrongful arrest of another man during the same operation.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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An earlier version of this story erroneously stated which brewery won gold in the West Coast-style IPA category.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
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That forecast, Braun said, erroneously based on tariff impacts, has changed for the better.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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But Isaacman did not directly respond to claims that NASA acted inappropriately.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
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According to the investigation, the alleged victim, who was nine-years-old at the time, claimed Duggar inappropriately touched her genitals and her thighs.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improperly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improperly. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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