as in incorrectly
in a mistaken or inappropriate way
she inappropriately referred to my chaperone as my father, and not as my stepfather
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Recent Examples of inappropriately
Pizzi went on to say Pembroke Park Town Manager David Lynch acted inappropriately to get a second opinion from a lawyer besides the city attorney on removing Jacobs’ from office.
—
Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
The robotaxi chauffeurs teens around Phoenix and Los Angeles without concerns of a driver becoming distracted or acting inappropriately.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
But in just the past two years, two different telehealth practices have been sanctioned for inappropriately prescribing stimulants.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The bottom line Any money the government saves during the pilot will depend on whether and how frequently these treatments are used inappropriately and how aggressively tech companies deny care.
—Grace MacKleby, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Noone admitted in court to touching the teen inappropriately by rubbing and grabbing the teen’s butt, kissing her arm and rubbing her thigh, according to the Times.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Kevin Dale Westerhold, 51, was taken into custody Tuesday following reports of a partially nude man behaving inappropriately at the Windsor Hills Resort vacation home rental community in Kissimmee, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit accuses Smith of grooming the boy and touching him inappropriately, including rubbing his buttocks and pressing his own body against the boy's while he was seated at his desk.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
While working as a substitute teacher at Edison Elementary School in Hammond in 2005, Zagorac was charged with child molestation for allegedly touching an 8-year-old boy inappropriately two years earlier, according to the Post-Tribune.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
The robotaxi chauffeurs teens around Phoenix and Los Angeles without concerns of a driver becoming distracted or acting inappropriately.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
But in just the past two years, two different telehealth practices have been sanctioned for inappropriately prescribing stimulants.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The bottom line Any money the government saves during the pilot will depend on whether and how frequently these treatments are used inappropriately and how aggressively tech companies deny care.
—Grace MacKleby, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Noone admitted in court to touching the teen inappropriately by rubbing and grabbing the teen’s butt, kissing her arm and rubbing her thigh, according to the Times.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Kevin Dale Westerhold, 51, was taken into custody Tuesday following reports of a partially nude man behaving inappropriately at the Windsor Hills Resort vacation home rental community in Kissimmee, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit accuses Smith of grooming the boy and touching him inappropriately, including rubbing his buttocks and pressing his own body against the boy's while he was seated at his desk.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
While working as a substitute teacher at Edison Elementary School in Hammond in 2005, Zagorac was charged with child molestation for allegedly touching an 8-year-old boy inappropriately two years earlier, according to the Post-Tribune.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inappropriately
Adverb
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Amid communication snafus, some residents were incorrectly told their lights were back on.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Missing a filing deadline, incorrectly valuing an asset or failing to list a creditor could result in your case being dismissed or losing property.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Police initially had said there were six victims at the school but corrected that to five on Wednesday, saying a woman airlifted to the hospital in critical condition was mistakenly counted as being among the dead.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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The caption of the original image mistakenly labeled natural hair as hair extensions.—
Aude Konan,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The White House initially did not dispute that Trump made the post and defended it, before a White House official told USA TODAY that a staffer had erroneously made the post, which was then taken down.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
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After calls for its removal -- including by Republicans -- the White House said a staffer had posted the video erroneously.—
BILL BARROW,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Groundhog Day is a tradition in both the United States and Canada where a groundhog comes out of its burrow and — usually inaccurately, especially in Phil’s case — predicts when winter will end.—
David Matthews,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Structural alpha occurs when the market inaccurately prices the change itself.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inappropriately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inappropriately. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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