Home UK English apropos

Meaning of apropos in English:

apropos

Pronunciation /ˌaprəˈpəʊ/ /ˈaprəpəʊ/

See synonyms for apropos

Translate apropos into Spanish

preposition

  • With reference to; concerning.

    ‘she remarked apropos of the initiative, ‘It's not going to stop the abuse’’
    • ‘‘There was hardly any control in Parliament,’ he continued, apropos of the parliamentary abortion debate.’
    • ‘For example, apropos of ‘design accumulation’ in Yoruba beading, Roy told us that ‘each large bead [has] its own circle of smaller beads’.’
    • ‘I don't seem to be able to mount this in comments, so, apropos of Andrew's comment below and my response, here is a picture of the card on which the alleged defamation occurred.’
    • ‘Completeley off-topic; last night apropos of S's date-hell story, I said to her ‘single is the new black.’’
    • ‘As he acknowledges, it was a charge that was sometimes made against him, and at one point he says, apropos of the great Australia batsman, that top players have to be selfish.’
    • ‘And then I thought, apropos of my last blog entry, about gender roles.’
    • ‘Here's an important point that several homeland security folks have reminded me about apropos of this story.’
    • ‘He wrote apropos of Napoleon that it was only after his second defeat, at Waterloo, that it became clear to him that his defeat was the expression of a deeper historical shift.’
    • ‘And we understood that something very funny happened one time apropos of what you are speaking of.’
    • ‘This is all apropos of the fact that I just turned the corner into my office and suddenly got a strong whiff of yellow cake and brown custard.’
    • ‘Suppose that after the first move has been played, we look around the board and determine apropos of each Power whether its first set of moves has been as expected, better than expected or worse than expected.’
    • ‘Whilst I am on that page, and apropos of your Honour's last question, I would also refer to the first full paragraph at page 96, the last two sentences commencing.’
    • ‘It would make for simplicity, he once remarked apropos of infant baptism, if all Adam's posterity derived souls as well as bodies from their first parent by heredity.’
    • ‘Up to this point, our expectations have been raised; we are expecting some innovative thinking apropos of the possibilities of resistance in today's workplaces.’
    • ‘Your Honours, apropos of what our learned friend said about the Justice's judgment, in our submission, it highlights the error.’
    • ‘We invite your Honours to read what is said by way of introduction and then take your Honours particularly, apropos of your Honour the Chief Justice's questions, to 929.’
    • ‘An anecdote apropos of this is worth retelling.’
    • ‘Just apropos of the matters you have just raised about the conduct of solicitors, those, I think I am right in saying, am I not, are not the subject of any ground of appeal?’
    • ‘Just apropos of the last point about incorporated practitioners, Part 10 of the Legal Practice Act regulates that.’
    • ‘And apropos of my earlier comments, it is appropriate to set a price-path target based on average inflation of several percentage points.’
    with reference to, with regard to, with respect to, regarding, concerning, respecting, on the subject of, in the matter of, touching on, dealing with, connected with, in connection with, about, re
    View synonyms

adjective

predicative

  • Very appropriate to a particular situation.

    ‘the composer's reference to child's play is apropos’
    • ‘the song feels apropos to a midnight jaunt’
    • ‘Her hunger pangs serve as an apropos metaphor for her literary life.’
    • ‘A more apropos quote from him would be this: ‘It is not by speeches and debates that the great issues of the day will be decided, but by blood and iron.’’
    • ‘There could never be an apropos moment to suffer such an appalling episode, but the timing in his case serves only to highlight his misfortune in even sharper relief.’
    • ‘The cheerleaders in the video are entirely apropos - one listen of this and you'll be dancing around too.’
    • ‘It would be wrong to say that they display a mastery of their craft, because in this context, the word ‘dominance’ seems a lot more apropos than ‘mastery.’’
    • ‘True, I have chosen somewhat melodramatic examples; but there are plenty of others, less melodramatic but equally apropos - especially, perhaps, in the realm of sexual morality.’
    • ‘His charming little theme's heard throughout the movie, but the producers chose to impose somebody else's noisy pop tune on the credits, obscuring his very apropos theme.’
    • ‘But for everyone else, the Supreme Court's decision to embrace the principles of federalism that have always been a fundamental part of our Constitution could not have come at a more apropos time.’
    • ‘Quotes are fine and sometimes apropos depending on the conversation's tone and topic, however, keep in mind who will be reading the e-mail and the perception your opinion via the quote you include will leave.’
    • ‘As far as the sound of the show went, the group were familiar with what they were performing, but the songs didn't translate as second nature; rediscovering bike riding would be an apropos analogy, I suppose.’
    • ‘The bizarre forelimbs of alvarezsaurids were therefore accompanied by a bizarre lifestyle, an unexpected but apropos twist in the plot of the evolutionary novel that is the fossil record.’
    • ‘The lessons are more apropos than one might think.’
    • ‘But more times than not, the film can't seem to find the apropos avenue upon which to sell its wares of pragmatism.’
    • ‘Suddenly, alcohol's nickname, firewater, has become especially apropos.’
    • ‘Surely this joke has been used elsewhere, but this was an apropos ending to the show…’
    • ‘Seems the floundering yet fertile imagination of this fallen idol had finally found an apropos home to roost in.’
    • ‘Bad times, rather than face, would have been more apropos.’
    • ‘The audience thinks the joke is on him, but the joke is on them, an apropos conclusion.’
    • ‘That's why ideas about the third culture are particularly apropos right now, as you are concentrating on scientists trying to take their case directly to the public.’
    appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apposite, apt, applicable, suitable, germane, material, becoming, befitting, significant, to the point, to the purpose
    View synonyms

Phrases

    apropos of nothing

    • Having no relevance to any previous discussion or situation.

      ‘Isabel kept smiling apropos of nothing’
      • ‘Next morning, the Blonde said, apropos of nothing: ‘You know, I really hated that restaurant last night.’’
      • ‘Every so often, apropos of nothing except maybe the sudden recollection of why they forked out £15 for a ticket in the first place, they will turn round to face the stage, fling an arm in the air and shout ‘Whoo!’’
      • ‘While I was still wondering what all of this really meant Bea started telling me, apropos of nothing, something else I've heard about many times; about the breakdown her mother, your grandmother, suffered when Bea was ten years old.’
      • ‘More often than not, in the face of some palpable stupidity spewed by a soused rum-shop conservative, Charlie would proffer a question of his own, usually apropos of nothing; in effect, a diversion.’
      • ‘Then, apropos of nothing, she mentioned that her husband couldn't get a job, ‘because it's hard for someone his age.’’
      • ‘As we walk he says to me, apropos of nothing: ‘I love this city.’’
      • ‘Earlier I was talking with one of the salespeople in the store who told me, apropos of nothing, that I reminded of her of two people, neither of whom she knows.’
      • ‘‘It doesn't even have to be men that you know,’ Steve says, apropos of nothing.’
      • ‘And inspiration deserts us to the extent that we resort to the lazy journalist's technique of the dreaded self-referencing paragraph apropos of nothing.’
      • ‘Someone said to me in passing, apropos of nothing, over lunch in the Ivy: ‘Hey, why don't you go to the worst place in the world?’’
      • ‘Sometimes, occasionally, apropos of nothing, I stop dead in my tracks for a moment and think about the exceptional people I am fortunate enough to call friends.’
      • ‘But it's completely absurd to call me up and demand, apropos of nothing at all, to know whether I'm special or not.’
      • ‘Fortunately I'd backed up the whole site yesterday morning, apropos of nothing, so I was able to restore everything but yesterday's entry.’
      • ‘So, many thanks to a wonderful friend of mine (who would prefer to remain anonymous) for buying me these two CDs, apropos of nothing.’
      • ‘There is something that happens when you lose a loved one where sometimes the sadness just crashes into you apropos of nothing.’
      • ‘Today, apropos of nothing, Doug announced that he likes music, particularly classic rock.’
      • ‘I bet your city of residence doesn't throw itself a two week-long party apropos of nothing.’
      • ‘‘So you like to watch the women, boy,’ the old man said apropos of nothing because there were no women in sight.’
      • ‘Even historical advantagism aside, this may be nauseating were it not alternated with questions asked apropos of nothing like, ‘Do you have a mistress?’’
      • ‘And in arguing this, does he not more or less prove that he doesn't care what his ideas can be exchanged for, that he's really supplied the brief chapter, apropos of nothing, as a useful toy for readers to play with?’

Origin

Mid 17th century from French à propos ‘(with regard) to (this) purpose’.