disproportionate

adjective

dis·​pro·​por·​tion·​ate ˌdis-prə-ˈpȯr-sh(ə-)nət 

: being out of proportion

a disproportionate share

disproportionately adverb

Examples of disproportionate in a Sentence

He believes that middle-class people bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden.

A disproportionate number of the students are poor.

Recent Examples on the Web

But declining disproportionate treatment is not intended to kill the patient, although death is the foreseeable outcome. —Mathew Schmalz, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025

Balint introduced the measure on Trans Day of Visibility, recognized annually on March 31 to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people and draw attention to disproportionate discrimination faced by the community. —Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025

This is another snapshot of this disproportionate relationship with the United States. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025

What To Do in Wimberley Hit the Funky Art Scene Artists of all disciplines make up quite a disproportionate faction of this town that’s just shy of 3,000 citizens. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin disprōportiōnātus, past participle of disprōportiōnāre "to make out of proportion," from Latin dis- dis- + Medieval Latin prōportiōnāre "to compose according to proportions" — more at proportion entry 2

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disproportionate

• extortionate
• proportionate

Kids Definition

disproportionate

adjective

dis·​pro·​por·​tion·​ate ˌdis-prə-ˈpōr-sh(ə-)nət 

-ˈpȯr-

: being out of proportion

disproportionately adverb