appropriateap‧pro‧pri‧ate1 /əˈprəʊpri-ət $ əˈproʊ-/ ●●● S2 W1 AWL adjective 
clothes appropriate for a job interviewappropriate to an education system which is more appropriate to the needs of the studentsit is appropriate (for somebody) to do something It would not be appropriate for me to discuss that now.it is appropriate (that) It seemed somehow appropriate that we should begin our journey here.appropriate time/place etc I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to mention the subject of money.highly/entirely/wholly appropriate I thought his remark was highly appropriate, given the circumstances. The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate. Where appropriate, I delegate as much work as possible. Mark box 1 or 2, as appropriate. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken.► see thesaurus at suitable—appropriateness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Considering what he did, I think the punishment was appropriate.
- Each member is given a special exercise routine that is appropriate for his or her needs
- We will take appropriate action once the investigation is over.
- You will be given your orders at the appropriate time.
- All seven transactions are numbered and posted to the appropriate accounts.
- The Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare groups as appropriate.
- The main aim of several sets of video materials is to present examples of language in use in an appropriate context.
- The use of sound was imaginative and appropriate, and caught the audience's attention.
- Then you are criticised for not winning in a style they regard as appropriate.
- You spot what season of the year is appropriate.
THESAURUS
having the right qualities for a particular purpose or person: · a suitable place for a picnic· They don’t consider him a suitable husband for their daughter.
completely suitable in every way: · It’s a nice house, but it isn’t right for us.· We’ll tell her when the time is right.
suitable for a particular purpose. Appropriate is more formal than suitable: · She filled out all the appropriate forms.· It may not be an appropriate time to ask him about it.· It’s not appropriate to wear a short skirt for an interview.· the appropriate way to end a business letter
the proper tool, piece of equipment, or way of doing something is the one that most people think is most suitable: · You can’t change a wheel without the proper tools.· the proper procedure for hiring staff
if someone is suited to something, he or she has the right qualities to do it: · He’d be well suited to the job.
Longman Language Activatorsuitable for a particular situation, job, purpose etc something or someone that is suitable is the right type of thing or person for a purpose, job, or situation: · I still haven't found a suitable job.· You must wear something suitable - preferably black.suitable for: · The house would be suitable for a large family.· Plants of this type are suitable for use in an aquarium.eminently suitable (=very suitable): · The property is centrally located and eminently suitable for our purposes.
suitable. Right is used more in informal language than suitable: · I don't know the right word to describe it.· We've been thinking about selling the house, but I'm not sure the time is right.· We all agree that Carey is the right person for the job.right for: · It's a good school, but it wasn't really right for Melissa.
suitable for a particular purpose or situation: · You can't climb a mountain without the proper equipment.· I can't make the repairs without the proper tools or materials.· With proper training, most people can learn leadership skills.
suitable for a situation or purpose - use this especially about something that has been carefully chosen for a particular situation: · You will be given your orders at the appropriate time.· Considering what he did, I think the punishment was appropriate.appropriate for: · Each member is given a special exercise routine that is appropriate for his or her needs
especially spoken very suitable for a purpose or job - use this especially when there are several suitable people or things to choose from: · Bates would be a good person to have on the team.· Would now be a good time to discuss the plans for the conference? good for: · The big jars are good for storing rice or pasta.
something that suits a person, purpose, situation etc is suitable for them: · This is a job that would suit someone with a lot of experience abroad.· They found us a house close to the campus, which suited us very well.suit somebody's needs: · Make sure you choose a computer that suits your needs.suit somebody fine/well/perfectly: · The weather here suits me fine.
if someone or something is suited to a situation, purpose, or job they have the qualities that make them suitable for it: · Wearing a suit and tie just is not suited to a tropical climate.· Do you think his personality is suited to a career in teaching?ideally/well/perfectly suited to something: · The electric car is well suited to the needs of city drivers.
if someone is cut out for a particular job, they have personal qualities that are suitable for it and are therefore likely to succeed at it - use this especially in questions and negative sentences: · Maybe he's just not cut out for an acting career.· She knew she was cut out for more than scrubbing floors and doing laundry.
if something lends itself to being used in a particular way, it has qualities that make it easy and suitable for using in that way: · Many of his poems lend themselves to songs very easily.· The marshy land at the mouth of the Neva River hardly lent itself to habitation.
not suitable for a particular purpose, person, or situation · We never planted roses here because the climate isn't suitable.· The strict laws forbid women to read "unsuitable material."unsuitable/not suitable for · The road is not suitable for heavy vehicles.· The movie contains violence and is unsuitable for children.
formal not suitable for a situation or purpose - use this especially about something that has been done or chosen without enough care or thought: · This is not an appropriate use of taxpayers' money.· I thought his remarks were inappropriate on such a serious occasion.inappropriate/not appropriate for: · The court found that the sex-education brochures were inappropriate for eighth-grade students.it is inappropriate/not appropriate (for somebody) to do something: · It's completely inappropriate for the President to get so involved in a local issue like this.
not having the qualities or characteristics that are needed for a particular purpose or situation: · The tomatoes didn't grow because they're unsuited to the soil here.· Her outfit was completely unsuited to the tropical climate.
not the right one for a particular job or purpose: · You're using the wrong spoon - this is the soup spoon.· I think you picked the wrong time to call her.wrong for: · His brand of nationalism is wrong for our party and wrong for the country.
use this when it is completely the wrong time or place in which to do something, or the person doing it is a completely unsuitable person: · This is hardly the place to talk about your sexual problems.· I know it's hardly the moment to tell you, but I've quit my job.· This little man was hardly the kind of person you'd expect to be in charge of an international gun-smuggling scheme.
not good enough for a particular purpose, especially when someone has officially decided this: unfit/not fit for: · The land is so polluted it is not fit for crops.unfit for human consumption/habitation (=not fit for humans to eat or live in): · The meat was declared unfit for human consumption.unfit/not fit to do something: · Her uncle was mentally unstable and unfit to raise a child.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to mention the subject of money. I thought his remark was highly appropriate, given the circumstances. The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate. Where appropriate, I delegate as much work as possible. Mark box 1 or 2, as appropriate. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES They were told to take whatever action they deemed necessary.
correct or suitable for a particular time, situation, or purpose OPP inappropriateappropriate for I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to mention the subject of money. I thought his remark was highly appropriate, given the circumstances. The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate. Where appropriate, I delegate as much work as possible. Mark box 1 or 2, as appropriate. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken. formal (=suitable/not suitable for that situation)· Within the official school framework there are penalties for inappropriate behaviour.
They were told to take whatever action they deemed necessary. (=a measure that is suitable for a particular situation)· In the event of an assault, staff will need to take appropriate measures to defend themselves.
(=a very suitable one)· Building on sand is an apt metaphor for the challenge we face.
· She laughed, which didn't really seem an appropriate response.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Administration officials said it was entirely appropriate for the Clintons to host overnight guests.· The freakishness of their own appearance seemed entirely appropriate.· That the world should be so enchanting after the enchantment of Vitor's lovemaking was entirely appropriate.· Young Fowler thinks it entirely appropriate.· Her reaction, he wrote, was entirely appropriate.· It is therefore entirely appropriate that today Pompeii still represents the cutting edge of archaeological research and development.· Theological answers are necessary and entirely appropriate to this doubt.
· Some of them may have become bottom living, crawling hunters for which a gastropod-like shell would have been more appropriate.· With the tab stops at 35, 50 and 55 deleted, the headings shift to more appropriate locations. 12.· It seemed utterly incongruous that there were cars parked outside on the wide circular drive - carriages would have looked more appropriate.· On the other hand, sometimes a direct approach may be more appropriate.· In some situations air streamed integral visors and helmets are more appropriate especially in humid areas.· Nothing could have been more appropriate.· All these measures were carried out in the name of cost improvements cost-cutting would be a more appropriate name.· I thought Poems for D.T.'s would be more appropriate, or would attract more attention on a book-shop counter.
· Electronic marking is particularly appropriate on large courses, since it helps avoid the problems of managing the handing-in of work.· A field-warehousing arrangement is particularly appropriate for financing seasonal inventory buildups.· It is perhaps particularly appropriate to consider tourism in an issue of the magazine whose theme is writers.· I perceive him as a particularly appropriate model.· They are thus particularly appropriate for studies of convection and stratified flow.· The method is particularly appropriate for assaying heavy metals such as lead in blood. 33-36.· This might seem a particularly appropriate task for geographers although similar work has been the province of biologists, archaeologists and geologists.· However inversion would not appear to be particularly appropriate given the actual data involved in this case.
NOUN· He also has the responsibility of deciding the appropriate action for changes where rejection would be contentious.· Each division of the school receives its own results, which allow it to pinpoint problems and take appropriate action.· Teachers who for years had planned in terms of appropriate actions could not overnight apply their minds to appropriate meanings as well.· If and when points come forward the group meets to discuss and decide appropriate action.· A trader knowledgeable of such developments can take appropriate action.· Before any appropriate action can be taken, it must be clear to all concerned what constitutes physical abuse.· Much appreciation is due to those residents who have brought various incidents to attention resulting in appropriate action.· But as soon as his regular check brings to light the absentee he is able to take prompt and appropriate action.
· These principal chief officers should in appropriate cases be responsible for more than one department.· This would appear to legitimise his interference in operational matters in appropriate cases.· In an appropriate case a bank will require a mortgage to be explained by a solicitor to the borrower. 7.· However, in appropriate cases an apology should be added to an adjudication.· But these Acts do not proscribe activities, they simply provide for investigation in appropriate cases.· The same in an appropriate case would apply if the monies were simply advanced to him.· Then in an appropriate case the public authority may be able to secure the institution of a prosecution for criminal libel.· Removal expenses and travelling expenses in connection with the move to Oxford of the successful candidate are generally paid in full in appropriate cases.
· Only then can they set the appropriate level of interest rates.· Terms should be reviewed for consistency and appropriate level of pre-coordination, word form and level of specificity.· It was crucial for successful demand management that central government generated or contained investment to an appropriate level.· The rate of interest at which this assistance is provided indicates the Bank's view of the appropriate level of interest rates.· For more senior jobs individuals will have already demonstrated an appropriate level of intelligence by their educational standards and successful work experience.· The debate is now about the most appropriate levels for decision-making.· Certain Scotvec modules are acceptable at appropriate levels as an alternative to O/S or Higher qualifications.
· In such situations we take appropriate measures to ensure that strict confidentiality is maintained in all respects.· It is then necessary to develop appropriate measures for this performance.· What is the appropriate measure of scale difference between industrial activities?· Devaluation has often been perceived as an appropriate measure for countries running high and persistent balance of payments current account deficits.· Performance indicators are becoming more sophisticated as managers wrestle with the problems of choosing and monitoring appropriate measures of quality and effectiveness.· Is cloze procedure an appropriate measure of comprehension?· Our second should be to search for appropriate measures for comparison.
· Other Companies of the Battalion were already moving off in time to take their appropriate places in the March Table.· One is the ambiguity in his argument about the appropriate place of semiotic process in the analysis of work.· This is an appropriate place, perhaps, for a few words about the use of roses for hedging and screening.· These points will be referred to again at appropriate places in later chapters.· If a document was issued or received it would be filed in the appropriate place in Nigel Couville's kingdom.· The programme was filmed in front of a live audience who had to clap, laugh and commiserate in all the appropriate places.· Then they can be put into their appropriate places.· Bring Started Date } { Time } in the appropriate places on the form NEWOED1.
· This can surprise us and overwhelm us so much that by far the most appropriate response is to laugh.· An appropriate response, it seemed, would have been for the company to redouble its efforts to improve its own offering.· The anger is an appropriate response to what the writer describes, a public statement about conditions of life or death.· Gale is away from the phone, but he will listen to the recording later and make an appropriate response.· He hadn't needed a thesaurus to decide on the appropriate response.· Although she had sensed that a fiasco like this was inevitable, Amanda fumbled for an appropriate response.· Theory suggests that an exchange rate change may be the appropriate response to a country specific shock.· It is competition, however, which forces businesses and resource suppliers to make appropriate responses.
· Each case must be considered on its own merits though it is important that action is taken at the appropriate time.· It was a two-edged sword of obligations of favors given and favors to be returned at a later, appropriate time.· It is important to establish that the client and key employees will be available at the appropriate time.· We can assess all the relevant factors for you, and produce the right amount of cash at the appropriate time.· An appropriate time for Dole to speak his mind; and, at one level, an obviously sensible thing to do.· An appropriate time for a visit.· No spraying, of course, and only circumspect cutting back at the most appropriate time.· Consequently, it can be planned so that it is raised at the most appropriate time for it to be dealt with effectively.
clothes appropriate for a job interviewappropriate to an education system which is more appropriate to the needs of the studentsit is appropriate (for somebody) to do something It would not be appropriate for me to discuss that now.it is appropriate (that) It seemed somehow appropriate that we should begin our journey here.appropriate time/place etc I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to mention the subject of money.highly/entirely/wholly appropriate I thought his remark was highly appropriate, given the circumstances. The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate. Where appropriate, I delegate as much work as possible. Mark box 1 or 2, as appropriate. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken.► see thesaurus at suitable—appropriateness noun [uncountable]