Definition of

Appropriate

formal attire

What is appropriate is what is coherent or what is consistent with certain circumstances.

Appropriate is an adjective that qualifies that or that which is consistent, coherent or related to certain conditions or needs . For example: “I think the new governor has given a speech appropriate to the social context,” “We have to hire a manager with the appropriate profile for the company to maintain its growth,” “That suit is not appropriate for an event of this nature.” guy" .

What is appropriate, in this framework, is something logical or congruent with the environment or the state of things. If a lawyer must attend a job interview, it is appropriate for him to wear a shirt, tie and jacket . On the other hand, if you wear shorts and a football shirt, your outfit will not be appropriate for a work meeting.

Appropriateness and context

Just like any other term of a subjective nature, appropriate is not usually used to describe something undeniable and necessarily valid (such as a property of the field of physics that always holds), but rather points out issues framed in a cultural context , which in turn It is limited by the era to which it belongs.

Returning to the example of what is appropriate attire for a job interview, it is important to note that there are currently many companies that allow their employees to wear informal clothing. Although this does not occur in the field of law, which is why lawyers are still required to dress formally, it is common in the technology industry, especially in software development.

This has not always been the case, since even in this sector the use of formal clothing was imposed in the late 80s and early 90s. This change does nothing other than confirm the subjective nature of the term, since even in The same building can take on different meanings from one year to the next, from one day to the next.

Utensil

Proper use of scissors is essential to avoid injuries.

A security issue

Certain objects have an appropriate use and others that are not correct and can even be dangerous. The proper use of scissors is to apply force to cut paper or cardboard: it is not appropriate to use it to threaten another person or to cut wood. It is also not appropriate to use a revolver to celebrate, shooting into the air, since this practice could lead to the death of anyone from the bullets.

On the other hand, manufacturers usually indicate the appropriate use of their products in a section of the user manual, to minimize the risks of accidents, as well as the probabilities of lawsuits by their customers. Of course, this is often nothing more than a mere list of suggestions, and not absolute truths; For example, the use of rechargeable batteries is not recommended for some products, but this does not prevent millions of people from using them and not suffering any negative consequences, such as further deterioration.

Appropriate as a conjugation of appropriate

Appropriate, on the other hand, is a conjugation of the verb to appropriate : to retain ownership of something. More precisely, it is its participle, and can be used to form compound tenses, as seen below: “I have not appropriated any of that woman's belongings: the complaint is false,” “They accuse the mayor of having appropriated funds .” intended for carrying out public works” , “The company has appropriated public space that belonged to all the neighbors: we demand that the land be returned to us!” .

Depending on the Spanish-speaking country, the use of compound tenses is more or less frequent, and therefore can be formal or colloquial. In Argentina it is more common to resort to the simple past tense ( "The mayor appropriated public funds" ), while in Spain just the opposite occurs.