Necessary and Proper

Necessary

Necessary adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.

Proper and necessary are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Proper" instead an adjective "Necessary".

Nearby Words: necessity, necessarily

Proper

Proper adjective - Following the established traditions of refined society and good taste.

Necessary and proper are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Necessary" instead an adjective "Proper".

Nearby Words: property, properly

Both words in one sentence

  • Creator / Cordwainer Smith Each could do anything he found necessary or proper to maintain the Instrumentality and keep the peace between the worlds... This was all the business of the Instrumentality.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: The Never students are informed in school that they should not kill unless it is absolutely necessary, lest one cease to be a proper villain and instead become a common thug.
  • This is necessary, since the blackboard (and at one point, the language bubbles) actually has proper English written on it.
Cite this Source
Proper and Necessary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/proper
Necessary & Proper. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/proper>.
Proper or Necessary. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/proper.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "necessary" and "proper" have occurred on timeline