commensurate
Americanadjective
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corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree.
Your paycheck should be commensurate with the amount of time worked.
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proportionate; adequate.
a solution commensurate to the seriousness of the problem.
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having the same measure; of equal extent or duration.
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having a common measure or divisor; commensurable.
adjective
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having the same extent or duration
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corresponding in degree, amount, or size; proportionate
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able to be measured by a common standard; commensurable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of commensurate
1635–45; < Late Latin commēnsūrātus, equivalent to Latin com- com- + mēnsūrātus (past participle of mēnsūrāre to measure ); see -ate 1
Explanation
The word commensurate has to do with things that are similar in size and therefore appropriate. Many people think the death penalty is a commensurate punishment for murder. In other words, the penalty fits the crime. When things are commensurate, they're fair, appropriate, and the right size. If you got a ticket for jaywalking, you shouldn't get ten years in prison — that penalty is not commensurate with the crime. The word commensurate is usually followed by with or to; one thing is commensurate with or to another.
Vocabulary lists containing commensurate
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Great Gatsby
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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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.
Yet the urgency of this moment is prompting beneficial changes in tandem at a pace commensurate with the technological transformation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
"There is still a healthy degree of scepticism about the ability of these investments to generate a commensurate level of return," Russ Mould, an investment director at AJ Bell, said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
In a podcast in May, Uber Chief Operating Officer Andrew MacDonald said the company had not seen productivity gains commensurate with its spending on AI.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
We are both millennials who watched our friends follow what they assumed was the path to success: Move to a big city and earn a salary commensurate with a higher cost of living.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Most others believe that recent Mexican immigrants will eventually take their place in society, and perhaps someday muster political clout commensurate with their numbers, though significant impediments are slowing their progress.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
