0

I found a couple examples with that word:

The song feels apropos to a midnight jaunt

Clothes that are apropos to the occasion

I'm interested in can we use that following the verb of action. For instance, if I want to express something like the following:

My frined come to my house and bring some candies with him. Could I say It's apropos that you bought the candies, I just have made a tea.

  • 2
    Apropos does not mean appropriate, although I suppose it may be gaining that meaning through usage. What did you find when you looked up apropos in a dictionary, and its examples? Please edit the question to include your research, and detail what's not clear. – Andrew Leach Jan 31 '15 at 20:29

3 Answers3

2

The usage of apropos meaning appropriate is generally considered incorrect:

  • The loanword apropos comes from the French phrase à propos de, meaning with respect to. In English, apropos is conventionally used as a preposition meaning with regard to, and it’s also an adjective for pertinent or to the point.

  • Apropos is often misused in place of appropriate. This sense of apropos has nothing to do with the original French phrase or the word’s conventional meaning. In such cases, appropriate is a perfectly good replacement. Still, this use of apropos is common that we might simply have to accept that the word has changed.

(grammarist.com/usage)

though, the following dictionary, for instance, actually shows this usage as acceptable:

Apropos: (M-W)

  • suitable or appropriate

    • The ceremony concluded with the reading of an apropos poem. The comment, though unexpected, was apropos.
2

"To the purpose; fitly, opportunely" is the oldest meaning of apropos in the OED, with the earliest citation from Dryden, in 1668 " The French..use them with better judgment and more apropos."

So it looks as if the idea that there is something wrong with it was made up after that. Ignore the nay-sayers: it's perfectly fine.

Colin Fine
  • 77,173
1

The OD describes apposite as mid 17th century: from French à propos '(with regard) to (this) purpose'. According to the Grammarist,

The loanword apropos comes from the French phrase à propos de, meaning with respect to. In English, apropos is conventionally used as a preposition meaning with regard to, and it’s also an adjective for pertinent or to the point.

This squares the circle for me. I might use the word as a preposition sometimes, but I would baulk at using it as an adjective (too pretentious) preferring words like 'right', or (more formally) 'appropriate'.

So, whereas these two work for me,

apropos of the initiative, it’s not going to stop the abuse

Isabel kept smiling apropos of nothing

this one does not

The ceremony concluded with the reading of an apropos poem

I prefer a less stilted adjective, in this context 'fitting' or, more formally, 'apposite'.

Dan
  • 17,948