disproportion
/dɪspɹəˈpɔːʃən/
disproportion noun: the state of being out of proportion; an abnormal or improper ratio; an imbalance.
Noun
disproportion (countable and uncountable, plural disproportions)
- The state of being out of proportion; an abnormal or improper ratio; an imbalance.
- […] a handsome creature, remarkably so, with features so symmetrical […] that a micrometer gauge could scarcely find a disproportion in her smooth and broad mahogany-coloured face.1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XIII, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 208
- Then we, the social outsiders, turn around and dictate how men shall treat women (seldom, if ever, how women shall treat men; power in men's rather than women's hands being the excuse offered for this lop-sided arrangement), and how whites shall treat blacks (the same disproportion exists here too).1978 December 9, Nancy Walker, “Sexism and Racism at GCN?”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 10
- Lack of suitableness, adequacy, or due proportion to an end or use; unsuitableness.
- the disproportion of strength or means to an object
Verb
disproportion (third-person singular simple present disproportions, present participle disproportioning, simple past and past participle disproportioned)
- To make unsuitable in quantity, form, or fitness; to violate symmetry in; to mismatch.
- To shape my legs of an unequal size; / To disproportion me in every part.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- a degree of strength altogether disproportioned to the extent of its territory1838, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: American Stationers’ Company; John B....
disproportion meaning in Tamil, Urdu and Kannada
disproportion in Tamil
- இயைபு பொருந் தாமை, தகவின்மை, பொருத்தமின்மை, வீதச்சிதைவு
disproportion in Urdu
- بےآہنگی, ناموزونیت
disproportion in Kannada
- ಅಸಮಪ್ರಮಾಣ
Forms of disproportion
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | disproportions |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | disproportions |
| present participle | disproportioning |
| past participle | disproportioned |
| past | disproportioned |
Origin of disproportion
From dis- + proportion.
Words formed from disproportion
Questions about disproportion
- What does disproportion mean?
- Disproportion means the state of being out of proportion; an abnormal or improper ratio; an imbalance.
- What is disproportion in Tamil?
- Disproportion in Tamil is இயைபு பொருந் தாமை, தகவின்மை, பொருத்தமின்மை. See Disproportion meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is disproportion?
- Disproportion can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce disproportion?
- Disproportion is pronounced /dɪspɹəˈpɔːʃən/ (UK).
- What is the plural of disproportion?
- The plural of disproportion is disproportions.
Words near disproportion in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: disproportion (page history and authors); disproportion (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); disproportion (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); disproportion (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-AcpoKrane-disproportion.wav.
Cite this entry: “disproportion.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/disproportion. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.