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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

out of proportion

“It makes it seem like the online world is more blown out of proportion than what real life is.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Pratt tapped into real issues in L.A. and then blew them wildly out of proportion.

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026

In 2019, a Madison Square Garden company shareholder sued Dolan, alleging that he received compensation out of proportion to his work as an executive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Unlike Rosmarin's emotional recount, another passenger on the ship, Kasem Hato, said "the whole situation has been blown out of proportion".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

“As they received more information,” Oskamp concluded, “their certainty about their own decisions became entirely out of proportion to the actual correctness of those decisions.”

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• absolute
• dire
• drastic
• egregious
• exaggerated
• exceptional
• excessive
• extraordinary
• harsh
• irrational
• outrageous
• radical
• remarkable
• severe
• sheer
• unreasonable
• unusual
• utter