disproportionate
Americanadjective
adjective
verb
Usage
What does disproportionate mean? Disproportionate means uneven or out of balance with something in terms of size, ratio, degree, or extent.Disproportionate is the opposite of proportionate. Proportionate is the adjective form of the noun proportion, which refers to the relative size of two or more things. When something is described as disproportionate to something else, it means they are somehow unevenly matched.Example: The military response—striking a dozen different sites with missiles—has been criticized as disproportionate to the act that supposedly provoked it—a single plane briefly entering a no-fly zone.
Other Word Forms
- disproportionately adverb
- disproportionateness noun
Etymology
Origin of disproportionate
First recorded in 1544–55; dis- 1 + proportionate
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.
Last week, Panama's Supreme Court ruled that the concession was "unconstitutional" and found it had "a disproportionate bias in favor of the company" without "any justification" and to the "detriment of the State's treasury."
From Barron's
"Eight years in prison for Maja T. is disproportionate," he wrote.
From BBC
The court's ruling declared the contract "unconstitutional" and found it had "a disproportionate bias in favor of the company" without "any justification" and to the "detriment of the State's treasury."
From Barron's
A study of reading outcomes in New York state public schools that serve high concentrations of economically disadvantaged children found a disproportionate number of charter schools winning the highest marks.
The Berlin public transport operator BVG called the strike "disproportionate" and appealed to Verdi to return to negotiations.
From Barron's
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.
