Proprietorial Meaning
/prəˌpraɪəˈtɔːriəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf or pertaining to ownership.
adjCharacteristic of or behaving like a proprietor or owner (of a thing); possessive.
Sentence Examples
He has a somewhat proprietorial attitude toward the company.
The speaker took a proprietorial view of his recent invention.
The store owner showed a highly proprietorial attitude toward his merchandise.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He had a very ____ attitude toward his staff, treating them as if they belonged to him.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had a ____ attitude toward the project, refusing to let anyone else make decisions about it.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English proprietor Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisder. Old French -ialder. Middle English -ial English -ial English proprietorial From proprietor + -ial.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A superficially handsome young fellow had his arm round her, and he barred my way and told me something in proprietorial Flemish."
— 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN, page 483:
"“I'm pretty sure he did, Felix.” There was a proprietorial note in Rose's voice, to which I objected."
— 2006, Elizabeth Buchan, Wives Behaving Badly, →ISBN:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He had a very ____ attitude toward his staff, treating them as if they belonged to him.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had a ____ attitude toward the project, refusing to let anyone else make decisions about it.