proportional
Americanadjective
-
having due proportion; corresponding.
- Synonyms:
- proportionate, consonant, accordant, harmonious
-
being in or characterized by proportion.
-
of, relating to, or based on proportion; relative.
-
Mathematics.
-
(of two quantities) having the same or a constant ratio or relation.
The quantities y and x are proportional if y/x = k, where k is the constant of proportionality.
-
(of a first quantity with respect to a second quantity) a constant multiple of.
The quantity y is proportional to x if y = kx, where k is the constant of proportionality.
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adjective
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of, involving, or being in proportion
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maths having or related by a constant ratio
noun
Other Word Forms
- interproportional adjective
- nonproportional adjective
- nonproportionally adverb
- proportionality noun
- proportionally adverb
- subproportional adjective
- subproportionally adverb
- unproportional adjective
- unproportionally adverb
Etymology
Origin of proportional
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English proporcional, from Latin prōportiōnālis; see proportion, -al 1
Explanation
The adjective proportional describes something that has a relative size or amount to something else. When you're a mom, you know it's best to make sure chores are given out proportional amounts according to age and size of your kids. The United States has proportional representation in Congress, meaning that Congressional districts are divided according to the population, set after each census. The adjective proportional can also be used to describe something that has a constant ratio. This usage is especially common in math to describe things like proportional triangles or proportional variables. Proportionate is often interchangeable with proportional.
Vocabulary lists containing proportional
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Dear Martin
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Steve Jobs's Commencement Address (2005)
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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.
Despite his nationalist party Fidesz going from 135 seats to 52 in the 12 April vote, Orbán was re-elected as an MP on its proportional representation list.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
This particular form of instability—in which electoral outcomes haven’t caught up with voters’ frustrations—has long plagued polities on the Continent, where proportional voting systems accelerate the fracturing of authority in parliaments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
This result directly contradicts the Wiedemann-Franz law, a well-established principle that states heat and electrical conduction in metals should be proportional.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
A second principle that limits when deadly force can legally be used is proportionality: Shooting someone is only justified when it is a proportional response to the perceived threat.
From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026
The proportional burden on South Korea, some studies have found, would be two and a half times greater than on West Germany after it absorbed the former East Germany.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
