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.
"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
U.S. weekly exports of jet fuel hit a record 455,000 barrels in recent weeks, and there has been a commensurate increase in U.S. jet-fuel production.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 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
It seemed a confirmation—we were in the wilderness now—and a gratifying, totally commensurate reward for a day of hard toil.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
