disproportion

American  

[dis-pruh-pawr-shuhn, -pohr-] / ˌdɪs prəˈpɔr ʃən, -ˈpoʊr- /

noun

1. lack of proportion; lack of proper relationship in size, number, etc..

   architectural disproportions.

2. something out of proportion.

   the disproportions of an awkward body.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make disproportionate.

disproportion British  

/ ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃən /

noun

1. lack of proportion or equality

2. an instance of disparity or inequality

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verb

1. (tr) to cause to become exaggerated or unequal

Other Word Forms

• disproportionable adjective
• disproportionableness noun
• disproportionably adverb
• disproportional adjective

Etymology

Origin of disproportion

1545–55; dis- ¹ + proportion; compare Middle French disproportion

Example Sentences

“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

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

Withholding funding for the “alleged actions of a few individuals,” he said, was a “matter of extraordinary disproportion.”

From New York Times

In recent years, however, the disproportions have grown even more extreme.

From Salon

The Congressional Budget Office and National Academy of Sciences, to name two sources that painstakingly documented the disproportion.

From Los Angeles Times