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
These two proprietary technologies are the scientific artistry behind their all-day curl hold.
—
Noel Cymone Walker, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2026
The proprietary filtration system is specifically engineered to remove impurities, chlorine, harmful chemicals and heavy metals from your water.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
José is powered by IntEngine, IntBot's proprietary system that combines vision, audio and language in real time to coordinate speech, facial expressions and gestures.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
But that other supplier would have to try to reverse engineer that particular dye — formulas for dyes and colorants were, in spite of being in service to the war effort, still proprietary — and backward engineering color from a finished product is a crapshoot.
—Kory Stamper, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Noel Cymone Walker, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2026
The proprietary filtration system is specifically engineered to remove impurities, chlorine, harmful chemicals and heavy metals from your water.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
José is powered by IntEngine, IntBot's proprietary system that combines vision, audio and language in real time to coordinate speech, facial expressions and gestures.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
But that other supplier would have to try to reverse engineer that particular dye — formulas for dyes and colorants were, in spite of being in service to the war effort, still proprietary — and backward engineering color from a finished product is a crapshoot.
—Kory Stamper, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for proprietary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proprietary
exclusive
Adjective
-
Services such as massages and facials are available for both Silica and Retreat guests, but the saunas, cold plunge, and exclusive lagoon are set aside for those with a suite at the Retreat.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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Paradise Guest Ranch Buffalo, Wyoming The century-old Paradise Guest Ranch offers weeklong family stays during the summer and adult-exclusive weeks when the kids go back to school.—
Julie Bielenberg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proprietary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proprietary. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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