proportional

[ pruh-pawr-shuh-nl ]

adjective

1. having due proportion; corresponding.

   Synonyms: proportionate, consonant, accordant, harmonious

2. being in or characterized by proportion.
3. of, relating to, or based on proportion; relative.
4. 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.

proportional

/ prəˈpɔːʃənəl /

adjective

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

noun

1. maths an unknown term in a proportion

   in a/b = c/x, x is the fourth proportional

Derived Forms

• proˈportionally, adverb
• proˌportionˈality, noun

Other Words From

• pro·por·tion·al·i·ty [pr, uh, -pawr-sh, uh, -, nal, -i-tee], noun
• pro·por·tion·al·ly adverb
• in·ter·pro·por·tion·al adjective
• non·pro·por·tion·al adjective
• non·pro·por·tion·al·ly adverb
• sub·pro·por·tion·al adjective
• sub·pro·por·tion·al·ly adverb
• un·pro·por·tion·al adjective
• un·pro·por·tion·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of proportional¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English proporcional, from Latin prōportiōnālis; proportion, -al ¹

Example Sentences

A draft plan envisions a first phase of proportional distribution across all countries until about 20% of their populations are vaccinated.

From Axios

The new algorithm checks planarity in a number of steps proportional to the cube of the logarithm of the number of nodes in the graph — an exponential improvement.

From Quanta Magazine

Those spikes led to a corresponding jump in conversions, but the upticks were not just proportional to the traffic.

From Digiday

As an ad-supported streamer, Peacock’s success is proportional to the size of its audience.

From Digiday

In his latest video update posted Friday, Desmond explained that the increase in cases is not accompanied by a proportional increase in hospitalizations.

From Voice of San Diego

But the outage has raised the question of what that proportional response would look like, and whether it would be legal.

From The Daily Beast

This is more important than it may seem because it only allows a two-week window where delegate contests have to be proportional.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, like any investment, the risk is proportional to the reward.

From The Daily Beast

Benkler, a defense expert witness, testified, however, that Manning's leaks were proportional to the Information Age he lives in.

From The Daily Beast

Israel possesses a vibrant, freely elected parliament emerging from a hyper-democratic proportional representation system.

From The Daily Beast

This evaporation of the sea water is proportional to the temperature and to the dryness of the air where it rests upon the ocean.

From Project Gutenberg

It may therefore be said that the need of money is proportional to the need for commercial transactions.

From Project Gutenberg

A tree, in sending out equal boughs on opposite sides, is symmetrical; in sending out smaller boughs toward the top, proportional.

From Project Gutenberg

A single queen bee, distinguishable by the great length of her body, and the proportional shortness of her wings.

From Project Gutenberg

For these reasons, they possess a value which ought to give them a proportional weight in an investigation like the present.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• commensurate
• corresponding
• reciprocal