Appropriating refers to the act of taking or using something, often without permission, for oneself or one’s own purposes. It can also denote the act of adopting or assuming a culture, practice, or attribute, sometimes without acknowledgment. In legal or scholarly contexts, it may describe the appropriation of property or ideas. The term carries charged connotations about ownership and attribution.
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"The museum faced criticism for appropriating Indigenous art styles without proper consultation."
"She was cautious about how she was portraying another culture, avoiding appropriating its symbols."
"The company faced a lawsuit over copyright and unauthorized appropriating of its patented design."
"Some critics argue that media outlets are appropriating marginalized voices for entertainment."
Appropriating comes from the verb appropriate, which traces to the Latin appropriare, from ad- ‘toward’ + aptus ‘fitted, suited’ (via French approprier). The sense evolution moved from “to set apart, assign” to “to take for one’s own use,” particularly in legal and property contexts. By Middle English, appropriate had already acquired the legal nuance of transferring rights or property. In the 18th–19th centuries, “appropriating” broadened to social and cultural contexts, where individuals or groups are said to appropriate elements of another culture or idea, sometimes with or without consent or acknowledgment, a focal point of contemporary discourse on power, ethics, and attribution.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "appropriating" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "appropriating"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Stress falls on the second syllable: ə-PRO-pri-ei-ting. The /ˈproʊ/ diphthong is like 'pro' in 'proclaim,' followed by /priˌeɪt/ for the -pri-ate- portion and a final -ing. In IPA: us: əˈproʊpriˌeɪtɪŋ; uk: əˈprəʊpriˌeɪtɪŋ. Lips are rounded for /oʊ/ then relax to /ɪ/; the t is lightly aspirated before the -ɪŋ. Audio reference: use Cambridge/Forvo entries and mimic native speakers saying “appropriating” in context to hear the exact rhythm.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress leading to a-PRo-pri-a-ting; ensure primary stress on the /ˈproʊ/ syllable. 2) Slurring /prɪ/ as a weak, clipped /prɪ/ instead of /priˌeɪt/. 3) Pronouncing /eɪ/ as a short /e/; keep the long diphthong /eɪ/. Corrective tip: practice with slow enunciation of syllables: a-prə-PRI-eɪ-ting, then speed up while maintaining the /ˈproʊ/ nucleus.
US typically: əˈproʊpriˌeɪtɪŋ with a clear /oʊ/ in /proʊ/. UK: əˈprəʊ.priˌeɪtɪŋ, with more rounded /əʊ/ and weaker /r/ in non-rhotic contexts. AU: similar to UK but with slightly flatter vowels and more clipped /t/ in fast speech. Focus on rhoticity: US is rhotic; UK and AU often reduce post-vocalic /r/ depending on speaker. IPA references align with general diphthongal patterns /oʊ/ vs /əʊ/.
Key challenges: long multi-syllabic word with a heavy /proʊ/ nucleus and the sequence -pri-a-ting interleaving consonant clusters. The /pr/ cluster can be tricky, the /oʊ/ diphthong requires precise mouth rounding, and the /eɪ/ in -eɪt- demands a gradual glide. Also, maintaining proper stress pattern across four syllables in rapid speech. Practice with slow, deliberate enunciation and then power through at natural speed.
No silent letters in standard pronunciations of appropriating. All letters are pronounced in careful speech: /əˈproʊpriˌeɪtɪŋ/. Some fast, casual speech may reduce internal vowels slightly (e.g., reduce /əˈprəʊ/?), but in careful speech, each syllable carries a vowel and the segments are audible.
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