proportionate

[ adjective pruh-pawr-shuh-nit, -pohr-; verb pruh-pawr-shuh-neyt, -pohr- ]

adjective

1. proportioned; being in due proportion; proportional.

   Synonyms: balanced, harmonious, consonant, accordant, according

verb (used with object)

, pro·por·tion·at·ed, pro·por·tion·at·ing.

1. to make proportionate.

proportionate

adjective

1. being in proper proportion

verb

1. tr to make proportionate

Derived Forms

• proˈportionately, adverb
• proˈportionateness, noun

Other Words From

• pro·portion·ate·ly adverb
• pro·portion·ate·ness noun
• nonpro·portion·ate adjective
• nonpro·portion·ate·ly adverb
• nonpro·portion·ate·ness noun
• unpro·portion·ate adjective
• unpro·portion·ate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of proportionate¹

1350–1400; Middle English proporcionate < Late Latin prōportiōnātus. See proportion, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

The bad news is that, as more kids come down with Covid, the proportionate number who get hospitalized is going up as well.

From Quartz

Things that were beautiful were understood to be orderly, in harmony, balanced, proportionate to themselves and generally integrated into a world that was either man-made or served man’s purposes.

From Washington Post

However, the board then punted back to Facebook, insisting on a “proportionate response.”

From The Daily Beast

They see a possibility that if they take the rights steps towards data governance, and later towards AI governance and other digital infrastructures, they can have a proportionate place in the global digital economy.

From MIT Technology Review

So the industry decided to produce skis that come in shorter lengths and are lighter, softer, and cut differently, to be proportionate to women’s bodies and make for easier turn initiation.

From Outside Online

By comparison, a proportionate range in a country the size of the United States is 475,000 to 7,473,000.

From The Daily Beast

The case against Megaupload might not be proportionate, wise, or able to withstand legal scrutiny.

From The Daily Beast

Government spokesman Nasser al-Mana'a insisted the government had no choice but to attack and had used proportionate violence.

From The Daily Beast

But this we certainly know: In six days, Israel lost 800 men, roughly proportionate to American losses in the entire Vietnam War.

From The Daily Beast

But we routinely base character judgments on actions, confidence being proportionate to the length of the track record.

From The Daily Beast

The fundamental equation of the economist, then, is that the value of everything is proportionate to its cost.

From Project Gutenberg

Are not these legitimate investments in the common stock of the nation, which should command a proportionate interest?

From Project Gutenberg

But as soon as she had made this great advance, virginal instinct suggested a proportionate retreat.

From Project Gutenberg

At the start, Mona was in nature proportionate to her size; and when she married she had not loved Crozier as he had loved her.

From Project Gutenberg

In the Kentish laws provision is made for widows to receive a proportionate share in their husbands' property.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• commensurate
• comparable
• corresponding
• equitable
• proportional
• reciprocal

More About Proportionate

What does porportionate mean?

Proportionate is most generally used to describe different things (or different elements of the same thing) that are considered to be properly balanced in some way.

In other words, it’s used to describe things that are said to match in terms of proportions—the relation between different parts, or their relative size or amount.

The word proportional is a close synonym that can often be used to mean the same thing.

Describing things as proportionate doesn’t necessarily mean they are exactly the same (in size, amount, etc.). Instead, it typically means they are matched or balanced according to what’s thought to be a proper or ideal ratio, or according to real-life dimensions, or in some other way considered appropriate.

In some cases, describing something as proportionate is the same as saying that it’s properly proportioned—that it has the proper dimensions or dimensional ratio.

For example, artists often study so that they can draw proportionate representations of the human body in which the body has the same proportions that it does in real life.

The word can also be applied to intangible things. In military conflicts, a proportionate response is one that is thought to match the level of force of the action that preceded it. In law, the word is often used to describe consequences in relation to committing an illegal act—a sentence is supposed to be proportionate to the crime.

The opposite, disproportionate, is used to describe things whose proportions are not even or do not match. For example, a drawing of a person with a normal-sized body but an unusually large head could be described as disproportionate because it doesn’t correspond to the average dimensions of a real body.

Less commonly, proportionate is used as a verb meaning to make things proportionate (balanced or matching in such a way).

Example: I was raised to believe that success is proportionate to hard work.

Where does porportionate come from?

The first records of the term proportionate come from the 1300s. The base word, proportion, comes from a Latin word meaning “symmetry” or “analogy.” The root portion means “part.” The suffix -ate is added to nouns to create adjectives.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to proportionate?

• proportionately (adverb)
• disproportionate (adjective)
• nonproportionate (adjective)
• nonproportionately (adverb)

What are some synonyms for proportionate?

• proportional
• proportioned
• commensurate
• comparable
• corresponding

What are some words that share a root or word element with proportionate?

• proportion
• portion
• proportionment

What are some words that often get used in discussing proportionate?

• consequence
• price
• scale
• size
• value

How is porportionate used in real life?

Proportionate can be used in any context. It’s often applied in relation to size, amount, or dimensions, but it’s also commonly applied to intangible things.

"Your feelings are valid" does not necessarily mean "your reaction is a proportionate response to what just happened."

— Puff the Magic Hater (@MsKellyMHayes) November 11, 2019

Do people in Ireland in the year 2020 still not understand that people who live in ‘social housing’ …… wait for it ….. ‘pay rent’ ? Proportionate to what they actually earn ? Unless of course I a mere nurse, has been accidentally paying rent for the past 19 yrs 🤷‍♀️

— polly molotov ♥️💙💚💛💜💖🍍 (@NursepollyRgn) February 11, 2020

Why are jerks always so stupid? It’s like their jerkiness is directly proportionate to their dumbness.

— Dallon Weekes (@DallonWeekes) November 1, 2017

 

 

Try using porportionate!

Is proportionate used correctly in the following sentence?

Sending someone to jail for life is not a proportionate punishment for stealing a loaf of bread.