ratio
Americannoun
-
ratios
plural
-
the relation between two similar magnitudes with respect to the number of times the first contains the second.
the ratio of 5 to 2, written 5:2 or 5/2.
-
proportional relation; rate.
the ratio between acceptances and rejections.
-
Finance. the relative value of gold and silver in a bimetallic currency system.
-
Sometimes the ratio (on Twitter) the proportion of replies to a tweet compared to the combined number of retweets and likes, where a high ratio usually indicates a barrage of negative replies: LOL, then I added the reply, “Don't mind me, I'm just here for the ratio.”
How is the Twitter ratio any different from other kinds of outraged cybermobs?
LOL, then I added the reply, “Don't mind me, I'm just here for the ratio.”
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a measure of the relative size of two classes expressible as a proportion
the ratio of boys to girls is 2 to 1
-
maths a quotient of two numbers or quantities See also proportion
Usage
What else does ratio mean? On the social media platform Twitter, a ratio, or getting ratioed, is when replies to a tweet vastly outnumber likes or retweets. This means people are objecting to the tweet and considering its content bad.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ratio
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin ratiō “reckoning, account, calculation,” equivalent to rat-, past participle of rērī “to believe, think, imagine” + -iō, noun suffix from verb stems; see -tion
Explanation
A ratio is the relationship in quantity or degree between two things: “The ratio of men to women on the construction site was ten to one.” This means there were ten men present and one woman. Use the word ratio when you want to make a comparison between two things. A ratio basically expresses a proportion. Often used in mathematics, the word ratio has many real world uses as well. This word is useful for everything from making salad dressing (an oil-to-vinegar ratio of three to one) to selecting a school for a child (consider the student-to-teacher ratio when making your decision).
Vocabulary lists containing ratio
Pi Day Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Word Generation Science - Measurement
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
She also checked out the price-to-earnings ratio against the post-COVID era and still finds it “pricey.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Their observations revealed that the proportion of magnesium to silicon on WASP-189b closely matches the ratio found in its parent star.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm, reported a medical-loss ratio of 88.4%, a closely watched number that represents the share of premiums spent on medical costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Bank lending rose 18.1% on year in 2Q, compared with deposit growth of around 14%, pushing the sector’s loan-to-deposit ratio above 80% from 77.7% in 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
She was talking about the square- cube ratio, though she didn’t know what to call it.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
With advanced economies seeing bond yields surge -- owing to elevated inflation expectations, surging debt ratios and AI capital-raising activities -- global borrowing costs have been rising.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Countries will now have to increase primary balances much more than they did in the recent past in order just to stabilise debt ratios," said Dabla-Norris.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The table also includes ratios of price to tangible book value, which is book value net of intangible assets, such as goodwill and loan servicing rights.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
“P/E ratios have fallen three turns. The impact is very direct, but hidden because earnings have been so phenomenal.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
More precisely, these ratios had to be written in the form a/b, where a and b were nice, neat counting numbers like 1, 2, or 47.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
They’ve become an entire syntax of communication; many a fine dunk below a ratioed tweet consists of a single GIF.
From The Verge ● Jul. 13, 2022
They also see in Ellis a persona who can laugh off getting ratioed amid a watch-your-step social media culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2021
I asked if he had ever done a bad tweet, or been ratioed.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2021
“I just figured because a lot of them were heavily ratioed, and had over 1,000 replies, that too many replies means it shuts down,” Graziano told Salon.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2019
Cillizza’s tweet was ratioed, meaning the number of replies significantly outweighs the retweets and likes.
From Fox News ● May 6, 2019
Candy preference ratioing gets fierce during Spooky Season.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2022
Never has so much ratioing left the internet all at once.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2017
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
