proportional

[pruh-pawr-shuh-nl, -pohr-]

See more synonyms for proportional on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having due proportion; corresponding.
being in or characterized by proportion.
of, relating to, or based on proportion; relative.

Mathematics.
1. (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.
2. (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.

Origin of proportional

1350–1400; Middle English proporcional < Latin prōportiōnālis. See proportion, -al¹

Related formspro·por·tion·al·i·ty, nounpro·por·tion·al·ly, adverbin·ter·pro·por·tion·al, adjectivenon·pro·por·tion·al, adjectivenon·pro·por·tion·al·ly, adverbsub·pro·por·tion·al, adjectivesub·pro·por·tion·al·ly, adverbun·pro·por·tion·al, adjectiveun·pro·por·tion·al·ly, adverb

Can be confusedproportional proportionate

Synonyms for proportional

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1. harmonious, comparative, accordant, consonant, proportionate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for proportional

comparable, corresponding, commensurate, reciprocal, relative, comparative, equivalent, equal, even, correlative, harmonious, symmetrical

Examples from the Web for proportional

Contemporary Examples of proportional

But the outage has raised the question of what that proportional response would look like, and whether it would be legal.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal
Shane Harris
December 23, 2014
This is more important than it may seem because it only allows a two-week window where delegate contests have to be proportional.
With New Primary Rules, RNC Panel Will Aid the Establishment in 2016
Ben Jacobs
January 24, 2014
Of course, like any investment, the risk is proportional to the reward.
Should Baby Boomers Invest in Bitcoin?
Sarah Kunst
January 9, 2014
Benkler, a defense expert witness, testified, however, that Manning's leaks were proportional to the Information Age he lives in.
Questions Over Judge’s Rulings But Little Hope for Bradley Manning
Alexa O'Brien
July 31, 2013
“These responses have to be proportional,” Maxwell told The New York Times.
North Korea Threatens War, and South Korea Wants Revenge
Gordon G. Chang
April 11, 2013

Historical Examples of proportional

The discharge is proportional to the square root of the pressure.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various
Mental recognition is proportional to the intensity of consciousness.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
Proportional representation and preferential voting I have mentioned.
A Preface to Politics
Walter Lippmann
As before, the work is also proportional to the weight elevated.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2
John Tyndall
In the nature of the case there can be no proportional relation.
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why
Martha M. Allen

British Dictionary definitions for proportional

proportional

adjective

of, involving, or being in proportion
maths having or related by a constant ratio

noun

maths an unknown term in a proportionin a/b = c/x, x is the fourth proportional

Derived Formsproportionality, nounproportionally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proportional

adj.

late 14c. (implied in proportionally), from Late Latin proportionalis "pertaining to proportions," from proportio (see proportion). Related: Proportionally.