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.
Dan Archer, chief executive of Visiting Angels in Sheffield, said any pressures on the cost of living had a "disproportionate impact" on home carers because of low pay.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Because he maintained his innocence and went to trial, he received a sentence disproportionate to his co-defendants, who pleaded guilty and acted as cooperating witnesses.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
This is my favorite use for pickle juice, partly because the payoff feels disproportionate to the effort.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
A disproportionate share of those jobs are remote-friendly, white-collar roles like customer-service reps, software developers and data specialists.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Or, as Edwards elliptically put it, “There’s a disproportionate focus on a particular asset class in a particular country.”
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
