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

Without proper controls, productivity gains can unintentionally drive disproportionate cost growth. — Sudipto Dasgupta, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Israel’s campaign, which officials have argued is necessary for national security, has killed more than 74,000 people, according to Palestinian health ministry figures, and been described as disproportionate by critics. — Allegra Goodwin, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Opponents say the new terminal would undermine years of progress cleaning up the air in the neighboring area, which has long experienced disproportionate pollution due to its proximity to the port and other industry. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

His attorneys contend that applying the money-laundering guidelines produces a punishment wildly disproportionate to the underlying offense and point to substantially shorter sentences in other foreign-agent cases. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

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