PROPERLY


Meaning of PROPERLY in English

prop ‧ er ‧ ly S1 W2 /ˈprɒpəli $ ˈprɑːpərli/ BrE AmE adverb

1 . especially British English correctly, or in a way that is considered right SYN right American English :

The brakes don’t seem to be working properly.

Then he’s not doing his job properly.

Parents should teach their children to behave properly in public.

properly trained staff

2 . especially British English completely or fully SYN thoroughly :

Is the chicken properly defrosted?

The allegations were never properly investigated.

3 . formal really:

Documents properly belonging to the family were taken away.

properly speaking British English (=really)

It isn’t, properly speaking, a real science.

4 . used to say that someone is right to do something SYN rightly

quite/very/perfectly properly

People are, quite properly, proud of their homes.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.