imbalance
Americannoun
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the state or condition of lacking balance, as in proportion or distribution.
-
faulty muscular or glandular coordination.
noun
Etymology
Origin of imbalance
Explanation
An imbalance occurs when you have too much of some things and too little of others. If you put so much pepper in your soup that you can't taste the other spices, then you caused an imbalance in your flavoring. It’s easy to remember the meaning of imbalance when you break the word into parts. You might recognize the prefix im- as a way to say “not.” Combine that with the familiar word balance, and you come up with something that is decidedly out of whack, or not balanced. It means that something is out of proportion, such as a trade imbalance between nations, meaning the amount of goods they sell to one another is not equal.
Vocabulary lists containing imbalance
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
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im-
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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’s a “frequent imbalance between the speed of technological growth and the slower development of awareness, norms, safeguards and institutions capable of governing its effects,” the pope writes.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
The NBS reiterated Wednesday that China’s external environment remains complex and volatile, while the imbalance between strong supply and weak demand remains pronounced.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
In mitotic slippage, chromosomes are frequently divided unevenly, creating severe genetic imbalance that reduces a cell's ability to survive.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
This supply/demand imbalance contributed to another quarter of record operating income for Carpenter.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The stance is, in the words of University of North Carolina researchers, “a situation of dynamic imbalance and ballistic opportunity.”
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
