proportionate

[pruh-pawr-shuh-nit, -pohr-, pruh-pawr-shuh-neyt, -pohr-]

adjective

1. proportioned; being in due proportion; proportional.

   Synonyms: balanced, harmonious, consonant, accordant, according

verb (used with object)

proportionated, proportionating 

1. to make proportionate.

proportionate

adjective

1. being in proper proportion

verb

1. (tr) to make proportionate

Other Word Forms

• proportionately adverb
• proportionateness noun
• nonproportionate adjective
• nonproportionately adverb
• nonproportionateness noun
• unproportionate adjective
• unproportionately adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of proportionate¹

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

Example Sentences

Antony White KC said only "specific instances" should be considered to "allow a trial of clearly identified factual issues to take place in a fair and proportionate manner".

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Police officers can use force, but only when it is "proportionate and reasonable in all the circumstances", according to their Standards of Professional Behaviour.

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John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords, said his organisation opposed any rent controls but said the cap of inflation plus one percentage point was "proportionate".

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In 2023, a previous investigation by the Crown Office concluded that the actions of police were proportionate.

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The court said social media posts were protected under Colombia's constitution and should only be limited in a proportionate way where necessary.

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Related Words

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

When To Use

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.