disproportionate
Americanadjective
adjective
verb
Usage
What does disproportionate mean? Disproportionate means uneven or out of balance with something in terms of size, ratio, degree, or extent.Disproportionate is the opposite of proportionate. Proportionate is the adjective form of the noun proportion, which refers to the relative size of two or more things. When something is described as disproportionate to something else, it means they are somehow unevenly matched.Example: The military response—striking a dozen different sites with missiles—has been criticized as disproportionate to the act that supposedly provoked it—a single plane briefly entering a no-fly zone.
Other Word Forms
- disproportionately adverb
- disproportionateness noun
Etymology
Origin of disproportionate
First recorded in 1544–55; dis- 1 + proportionate
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.
The committee had cited the "disproportionate" cost to the party of a mayoral election to replace Burnham when it blocked his bid to stand in the Greater Manchester seat.
From BBC
At the same time, insufficient funding, disproportionate outlays for salaries and pensions, and a domestic defense industry dominated by a sclerotic public sector have long been a drag on India’s military modernization.
That is not to justify Mr Traore's disproportionate reaction from which the mass confrontation ensued.
From BBC
They don’t want judges to scrutinize if civil penalties are disproportionate.
But when the points deduction was announced, the club described it as "disproportionate".
From BBC
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.
