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Synonyms

out of proportion

Idioms  

  1. Also, out of all proportion. Not in proper relation to other things, especially by being the wrong size or amount. For example, This vase looks out of proportion on this small table, or Her emotional response was out of all proportion to the circumstances. The noun proportion means “an agreeable or harmonious relationship of one thing relative to another.” [Early 1700s] The antonym in proportion dates from the late 1600s and also refers either to physical size or appropriate degree, as in The bird's wings are huge in proportion to its body, or Her willingness to believe him stands in direct proportion to her love for intrigue.

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.

Attorneys for Brown, Raygoza and Samane spent the week arguing that the government’s case was blown out of proportion.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

His US teammate Jake Sanderson told journalists the laughter had been "a bit of a mistake" that "got blown out of proportion a little bit," while reserve goaltender Jeremy Swayman said "We should've reacted differently."

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

He said the agreement drafted by the agency used the surrogate’s body for a “profit venturing business” and that the risks Trent-Wilson took were out of proportion to those taken by the agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer said the players' reaction has been blown out of proportion.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

I know I have my faults and shortcomings, but they blow them all out of proportion!

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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.