disproportion
Americannoun
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lack of proportion; lack of proper relationship in size, number, etc..
architectural disproportions.
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something out of proportion.
the disproportions of an awkward body.
verb (used with object)
noun
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lack of proportion or equality
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an instance of disparity or inequality
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disproportionablenessnoun
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disproportionableadjective
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disproportionaladjective
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disproportionablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disproportionsimple
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disproportionssimple
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have disproportionedperfect
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has disproportionedperfect
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am disproportioningprogressive
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are disproportioningprogressive
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is disproportioningprogressive
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have been disproportioningperfect progressive
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has been disproportioningperfect progressive
Past
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disproportionedsimple
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had disproportionedperfect
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was disproportioningprogressive
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were disproportioningprogressive
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had been disproportioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disproportion
1545–55; dis- 1 + proportion; compare Middle French disproportion
Explanation
If you don’t think you got a fair share of cake at a birthday party, there might have been a disproportion in the way the cake was served. A disproportion is a lack of balance or equality. Disproportion contains the prefix dis- which means “not” or “away from,” and the noun proportion which means “a proper, equal share.” Therefore, disproportion refers to an unequal and improper share. This noun is usually used in a negative context to point out something that is imbalanced or unfair, such as a disproportion of funds, food, or freedoms. Disproportion is also used in reference to the body; if your feet seem too big, they are in disproportion to your body.
Vocabulary lists containing disproportion
"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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The Prince and The Pauper
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A Dance with Dragons
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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.
See Examples For:
“It is not a great disproportion between ourselves and others which produces envy, but on the contrary, a proximity,” wrote David Hume, the 18th-century philosopher and economist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Such a disproportion between fundraising and expenditure, between money coming in and money going out, is frankly unsustainable for this — or any — art museum, especially when inflation is factored in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
This top-heavy treatment of the “Messiah” isn’t uncommon — that centerpiece “Hallelujah” can justify just about any level of choral disproportion.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2022
"There was a kind of disproportion," said Laure Khalil, the lawyer representing more than 100 of them.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2022
Tyrion Lannister had lived all his life in a world that was too big for him, but in the manse of Illyrio Mopatis the sense of disproportion assumed grotesque dimensions.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
In recent years, however, the disproportions have grown even more extreme.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2023
“However, these programs do not constitute a proper and comprehensive response. The industry needs to be compensated for the disproportions and restore some balance to the ecosystem.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2021
Paradoxically, because advertisers can no longer target by age or gender, they have little recourse to remedy these disproportions.
From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2019
It offers one of the most remarkable disproportions between the precise personalism of its action and the overwhelming scope of its achievement.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 8, 2015
We must, too, see those frightful disproportions which exist between the millionaire Saint-Remy, and the artisan Morel.
From The Mysteries of Paris, Volume 4 of 6 by Sue, Eugène
Dr. Mensendieck calls the dancing legs of the late Anna Pavlova monstrously disproportioned.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Indeed, sir!" said Gleeson, with a mixture of surprise and agitation greatly disproportioned to the intelligence.
From The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. I (of II) by Lever, Charles James
The depth of this affection, moreover, was not disproportioned, as is sometimes the case in examples of conjugal devotion, to the worthiness of the object.
From William the Third by Traill, H. D. (Henry Duff)
It would seem as if nature intended Ireland for a continent, and not for an island, by giving it lakes so entirely disproportioned to its size.
From Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland by Russell, T. O.
It seemed hard to believe that an animal of the size of a caribou could carry a burden apparently so disproportioned to his head and neck.
From On Canada's Frontier Sketches of History, Sport, and Adventure and of the Indians, Missionaries, Fur-traders, and Newer Settlers of Western Canada by Ralph, Julian
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.
