disproportionate
Americanadjective
adjective
verb
Usage
What does disproportionate mean? Disproportionate means uneven or out of balance with something in terms of size, ratio, degree, or extent. Disproportionate is the opposite of proportionate. Proportionate is the adjective form of the noun proportion, which refers to the relative size of two or more things. When something is described as disproportionate to something else, it means they are somehow unevenly matched. Example: The military response—striking a dozen different sites with missiles—has been criticized as disproportionate to the act that supposedly provoked it—a single plane briefly entering a no-fly zone.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disproportionate
First recorded in 1544–55; dis- 1 + proportionate
Explanation
If three friends are out having dinner, and one disappears when the check comes, the remaining two end up paying a disproportionate share of the bill. Whenever anything is out of proportion — either too large or too small — it's disproportionate. If you live in New York or Los Angeles or another very expensive city, you probably spend a disproportionate amount of your income on housing — meaning you pay more than you'd expect. If you have a sweet deal somewhere and pay very little in rent, it's still disproportionate — only this time it's less than you'd expect.
Vocabulary lists containing disproportionate
Power Prefix: dis-
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President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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President Trump's First Address to the United Nations General Assembly (2017)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Disproportionate death sentences may be convincing to those who make clemency decisions, and they reek of unfairness.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026
"The enormity of it. Disproportionate is a word being used and obviously we are going to feel aggrieved by that."
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2023
Disproportionate rewards go to the entrepreneurs and companies that can sell a vision of billions of users and values in the trillions of dollars.
From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2021
It also changes the amount of funding each state receives under the Disproportionate Share Hospital program to be calculated off the state’s uninsured rate, rather than its Medicaid enrollment.
From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2017
Disproportionate as is the great strength of a Fuegian to his little body, his voice is even more so; this is powerful beyond belief, and so loud as to be audible at almost incredible distances.
From The Land of Fire A Tale of Adventure by Reid, Mayne
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
