as in exclusive
belonging to only one person, unit, or group and not used by or available to others
The restaurant's proprietary recipe for barbecue sauce is only known to the head chef.
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Recent Examples of proprietary
The parrot has since moved from Auteuil’s head to a perch on his shoulder, nibbling at his ear with complete proprietary confidence.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Statista has applied its own proprietary scoring to derive the final ranking positions; therefore, the ranking does not represent a direct reproduction of The Upright Project's raw data output.
—Time Staff, Time, 12 May 2026
Light-diffusing pigments blur the look of dark circles, blemishes, and uneven skin tone with a soft-focus effect, while the proprietary Flex Form Matrix technology creates a breathable layer that moves with the skin throughout the day—without settling into fine lines or creasing.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Basically, the discovery and exploration company uses predictive software and proprietary, relatively minimal, mobile low-disturbance drilling technology to find and verify sites.
—New Atlas, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Statista has applied its own proprietary scoring to derive the final ranking positions; therefore, the ranking does not represent a direct reproduction of The Upright Project's raw data output.
—Time Staff, Time, 12 May 2026
Light-diffusing pigments blur the look of dark circles, blemishes, and uneven skin tone with a soft-focus effect, while the proprietary Flex Form Matrix technology creates a breathable layer that moves with the skin throughout the day—without settling into fine lines or creasing.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Basically, the discovery and exploration company uses predictive software and proprietary, relatively minimal, mobile low-disturbance drilling technology to find and verify sites.
—New Atlas, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proprietary
exclusive
Adjective
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
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Inside lies an exclusive self-winding chronograph (JCAA05) that provides a power reserve of 48 hours.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proprietary. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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