proprietary — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Of or relating to property or ownership.

   Synonyms

   proprietorial

   Examples

   proprietary rights

2. Owning something; having ownership.

   Synonyms

   proprietorial

   Examples

   the proprietary class

3. Created or manufactured exclusively by the owner or licensee of intellectual property rights, as with a patent or trade secret.

   Antonyms

   nonproprietary

   Examples

   The continuous profitability of the company is based on its many proprietary products.

   More examples (1)

   It was reported that the recipes for the secret sauce and grinder sandwiches were proprietary, known only to the current president of the corporation and the former owner of the restaurant.

4. Nonstandard and controlled by one particular organization.

   Antonyms

   nonproprietaryopen source

   Examples

   a proprietary extension to the HTML standard for Web page structure

5. Privately owned.

   Examples

   a proprietary lake; a proprietary chapel

6. Possessive, jealous, or territorial.

   Usage

   • of a person

   Synonyms

   proprietorial

Noun

1. A proprietor or owner.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Wherefore what issue soever shall result from my mind , by his means most happily married to a retired life , must , of due , redound to his honour , as the sole proprietary of my pains during my present condition

2. A body of proprietors, taken collectively.

3. The rights of a proprietor.

4. A monk who had reserved goods and belongings to himself, notwithstanding his renunciation of all at the time of profession.

5. A company doing legitimate business while also serving as a front for espionage.

   Examples

   For all practical purposes, the proprietaries conduct their own financial affairs with a minimum of oversight from CIA headquarters.

   More examples (1)

   The “operating proprietaries” actually do business as private firms. They are incorporated where they are officed, they file the applicable state and federal tax returns, and they obtain the licenses necessary to a legitimate business operation.

Adjective

1. protected by trademark or patent or copyright; made or produced or distributed by one having exclusive rights

   Antonyms

   nonproprietary

   Examples

   ‘Tylenol’ is a proprietary drug of which ‘acetaminophen’ is the generic form

Noun

1. an unincorporated business owned by a single person who is responsible for its liabilities and entitled to its profits

   Synonyms

   proprietorship

   Broader terms

   ownership