proportional
[pruh-pawr-shuh-nl, -pohr-]
- having due proportion; corresponding.
- 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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Origin of proportional
Synonyms
See more synonyms for proportional on Thesaurus.com1. harmonious, comparative, accordant, consonant, proportionate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for proportional
Contemporary Examples
But the outage has raised the question of what that proportional response would look like, and whether it would be legal.
This is more important than it may seem because it only allows a two-week window where delegate contests have to be proportional.
Of course, like any investment, the risk is proportional to the reward.
Benkler, a defense expert witness, testified, however, that Manning's leaks were proportional to the Information Age he lives in.
“These responses have to be proportional,” Maxwell told The New York Times.
Historical Examples
The discharge is proportional to the square root of the pressure.
Mental recognition is proportional to the intensity of consciousness.
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
Proportional representation and preferential voting I have mentioned.
A Preface to PoliticsWalter Lippmann
As before, the work is also proportional to the weight elevated.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
In the nature of the case there can be no proportional relation.
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and WhyMartha M. Allen
proportional
- of, involving, or being in proportion
- maths having or related by a constant ratio
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- maths an unknown term in a proportionin a/b = c/x, x is the fourth proportional
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper