WordGarden.ioproprietary
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /prəprˈaɪətəri/
US
- /prəˈpraɪəˌtɛri/
Meanings
Adjective
privately owned or controlled, especially by a company or owner with exclusive rights
closed and controlled by one company rather than openly shared, especially for software or digital formats
Beyond the definition
Something is proprietary when it belongs to a person or company and other people are not free to use it, copy it, or share it. You often see this word in business and technology. A software company may say its code is proprietary, which means the company owns it and keeps control over how it is used.
You can also hear it with recipes, formulas, or business methods. Imagine a company's special sauce recipe or a drug company's formula. They keep it private because it gives them an advantage. In simple terms, if something is proprietary, it is owned, controlled, and usually protected from outside use.
The term "proprietary" describes something that is owned and controlled by a particular person or organization. It is often used for intellectual property, technology, formulas, systems, or information that others cannot freely use, copy, or share. For example, a pharmaceutical company might develop a proprietary drug formula, meaning the formula belongs to that company and is legally protected or closely guarded.
The idea goes beyond physical objects. A company's internal training materials, customer list, software, manufacturing process, or even a unique business method can all be proprietary. These things are valuable because they help the owner stand out from competitors, so they are usually kept private or shared only under strict rules. You might hear about "proprietary software," which usually means the source code is not open to the public and the owner decides how it can be used.
The word often suggests some kind of legal or practical protection. That protection may come from patents, copyrights, trademarks, contracts, or trade secrets. A chef's proprietary sauce recipe, for instance, may be kept secret so that no one else can copy the exact taste and sell the same product.
In everyday English, the word most commonly points to something that is exclusive to one owner and not open for public use. It usually carries the idea of control, privacy, and business value. So if something is described as proprietary, you can usually think of it as owned by someone, protected in some way, and kept from being freely used by others.
Examples
- 1
Hardware
The printer needs a proprietary cable, so a standard one will not fit.
- 2
Software
Our team switched from proprietary software to an open-source tool.
- 3
Company control
The file format is proprietary to that company, so other programs may not read it correctly.
- Patternproprietary to + company
owned or controlled by that company
- 4
Business secrets
Employees are not allowed to share proprietary information with competitors.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Secret formula
The drink is made with a proprietary blend of herbs and spices.
- Phraseproprietary blend
a mixture whose exact details are kept secret
- 6
Personal ownership
She was oddly proprietary about the project, even though several people had helped her.
- Patternproprietary about + thing
acting as if it belongs only to you
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- patented
- closed-source
Contrast
- open-source
- public-domain
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- proprietary software
- proprietary technology
- proprietary information
- proprietary format
Word family
Explore
- intellectual property
- trade secret
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- proprietarynounadjective
Forms
- proprietariespluralnounadjective