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imbalance

American  
[im-bal-uhns] / ɪmˈbæl əns /

noun

  1. the state or condition of lacking balance, as in proportion or distribution.

  2. faulty muscular or glandular coordination.

imbalance British  
/ ɪmˈbæləns /

noun

  1. a lack of balance, as in emphasis, proportion, etc

    the political imbalance of the programme
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of imbalance

First recorded in 1895–1900; im- 2 + balance

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.

Scientists have long tried to address this imbalance, but it has proven challenging.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Still, there’s a clear imbalance against the scale of the supply shock.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Liani sees a solid demand trajectory for the $79 billion AI-infrastructure-as-a-service market, arguing that the rise of agentic AI is accelerating compute needs and extending a supply-demand imbalance that likely won’t ease until 2029.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

High housing costs and mortgage have caused many house hunters to retreat, creating an imbalance of buyers and sellers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Since the canoe is as round-bottomed as the trunk from which it was carved, the least imbalance in weight distribution tips the canoe toward the overweighted side.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.