Nonproprietary
adj.hopeful, capableprofessional
What it means
Not restricted to technology owned by one company.
Reach for it when describing technology or information not controlled as one vendor's exclusive property
The agency adopted a nonproprietary format any vendor could implement.
Choose between these
6- everyday
generic
the item is not tied to a brand
not when Generic does not imply access to source or specifications.
- everyday
access or participation is broadly available
not when Open needs a named license or permission.
- professional
different systems work together
not when Interoperability can exist through proprietary agreements.
- professional
open-standard
a public interoperable specification is used
not when An open standard can have proprietary implementations.
- professional
vendor-neutral
no supplier receives built-in preference
not when Vendor neutrality does not grant reuse rights.
- formal
public-domain
copyright restrictions are absent
not when Public domain is a specific legal status.
Said against
3- proprietary
- vendor-locked
- closed
It naturally appears in
3- nonproprietary format
The archive chose a nonproprietary format with published specifications.
- nonproprietary software
Nonproprietary software let each school inspect the code.
- nonproprietary standard
A nonproprietary standard reduced switching costs for the agency.
Where this comes from
Nonproprietary is not automatically open source, public domain, royalty-free, or interoperable; the actual license and specification decide.
- wiktionary, English adjective, not privately owned or restricted sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-27
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.