disproportionate

adjective

dis·​pro·​por·​tion·​ate ˌdis-prə-ˈpȯr-sh(ə-)nət How to pronounce disproportionate (audio)
: 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 How representation for the sake of representation doesn’t generate progress in the way some people seem to think, and how minorities bear the disproportionate brunt of their failures. Jason Parham, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Like a Super Mario Brothers video game, its action unfolds in vignettes, with Jean outwitting whimsically disproportionate beavers and responding to fatal interactions with unlimited resurrections. Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The new interpretation of Stark reveals a somewhat limited understanding of the evolution in medical therapy and practice over the past decade (today, nearly half of my patients receive oral anti-cancer drugs) and has a disproportionate effect on rural patients. Samyukta Mullangi, STAT, 1 Mar. 2024 In one, a 25-year-old former asylum seeker from Sudan, who was tagged by the Home Office as part of the pilot scheme after arriving in the UK via a small boat in May 2022, is challenging the regime for its disproportionate interference with his right to family and private life. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 Reform advocates also pointed out that the wider net cast by the bill would probably catch Black and Brown children accused of crimes at a disproportionate rate, furthering unjust outcomes in minority communities. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 When things happen, is their response disproportionate? Ricky Muddimer, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 But Francis maintains that in the present age—when wars often involve non-state actors, and conflicts are back-shadowed by the possibility of a disproportionate nuclear response—the just-war theory is too broad. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The Star collected its own data and found that the Bonner Springs Police Department engages in a disproportionate number of chases. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disproportionate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of disproportionate was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near disproportionate

Cite this Entry

“Disproportionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disproportionate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disproportionate

adjective
dis·​pro·​por·​tion·​ate ˌdis-prə-ˈpōr-sh(ə-)nət How to pronounce disproportionate (audio)
-ˈpȯr-
: being out of proportion
disproportionately adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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