disproportion

1 of 2

noun

dis·​pro·​por·​tion ˌdis-prə-ˈpȯr-shən 

: lack of proportion, symmetry, or proper relation : disparity

also : an instance of such disparity

disproportional

ˌdis-prə-ˈpȯr-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

disproportion

2 of 2

verb

disproportioned; disproportioning; disproportions

transitive verb

: to make out of proportion : mismatch

Examples of disproportion in a Sentence

Noun

His salary is in disproportion to what people who have similar jobs earn.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Between the assassination in Sarajevo, the mass slaughter in the trenches, and the stagnant front lines lie disproportions so immense that cause and effect lose all relation. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025

Just as the point of state neutrality is personal non-neutrality, the point of political egalitarianism is interpersonal disproportion. —Becca Rothfeld, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024

Those numbers and disproportion are likely to explode under the new law, in a climate where many people of color oppose Israel’s actions and many members of the Jewish faith see dangerous antisemites behind ugly encounters around Israel. —Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024

The implications of this enormous disproportion are obvious, given that few governments support more than one or a handful of official languages. —Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & New Latin; Middle French, borrowed from New Latin disprōportiōn-, disprōportiō, from Latin dis- dis- + prōportiōn-, prōportiō "analogy, proportion entry 1"

Note: A derivation that is perhaps just as likely is back-formation from disprōportiōnāre —see disproportionate. The noun disprōportiō was most likely current in later Medieval Latin, despite the lack of textual attestation, given the fifteenth-century instance of disproportion cited in Dictionnaire du moyen français. Compare also disproportion entry 2.

Verb

borrowed from Middle French disproportionner, borrowed from Medieval Latin disprōportiōnāre — more at disproportionate

First Known Use

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1593, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

disproportion

noun

dis·​pro·​por·​tion

ˌdis-prə-ˈpōr-shən,

-ˈpȯr-

: lack of proportion, balance, or proper relation

also : an instance of this

Medical Definition

disproportion

noun

dis·​pro·​por·​tion ˌdis-prə-ˈpōr-shən, -ˈpȯr- 

: absence of symmetry or the proper dimensional relationship

a disproportion between the large head and the average-size body

see cephalopelvic disproportion