proportionate
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
adjective
verb
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of proportionate
1350–1400; Middle English proporcionate < Late Latin prōportiōnātus. See proportion, -ate 1
Explanation
When things are in proportion, they are proportionate — their relative magnitudes are in balance and make sense the way they are. When the punishment fits the crime, it's proportionate. Artists, designers, architects, and plastic surgeons are all people who care deeply about whether things are proportionate. After all, if you give someone a nose job and their nose turns out too small, it won't look proportionate. And that's just in the visual sense. The old adage "No use crying over spilled milk" is just a way of saying that tears aren't proportionate to such a minor accident. Tears are proportionate when you crash your car, lose your fortune, or don't get into college.
Vocabulary lists containing proportionate
The Crucible
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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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.
This is where smart diplomacy, backed by a credible, proportionate threat of force, sometimes comes in handy.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
The Green Party leader told the BBC everyone who works in public service "should not be above scrutiny" and action must be "proportionate no matter how brave".
From BBC • May 3, 2026
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Tuesday that the country would continue "proportionate and legitimate defensive measures until the other side ceases its violations".
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
“The relief must be proportionate to the harm,” Parker added, “and that means structural separation of primary ticketing, resale ticketing, venue operation, national tours, advertising/sponsorship, and artist management must be seriously considered.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
I’m struck, suddenly, by how handsome he is—all his features are proportionate, his eyes dark and lively, his skin bronze-brown.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
