disproportionate

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌdɪsprəˈpɔrʃənət/ UK /ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃənət/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
too large or too small in comparison with something else

The punishment seemed disproportionate to so minor an offense.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · too large or too small in... unequal unbalanced excessive inordinate unevenlopsided

Opposites

proportionate balanced commensurate equal proportional

Word family

Forms disproportionallydisproportionately

Derived forms disproportionatelydisproportionateness

Related forms disproportion proportion proportionate

Etymology

From dis- ('not') + proportionate, from Latin proportio ('comparative relation'), from pro portione ('according to each part'), from portio ('share, part').

dis- Latin proportio Latin portio Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# disproportionate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌdɪsprəˈpɔrʃənət
**IPA (UK):** ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃənət

## Meanings
1. too large or too small in comparison with something else

## Examples
- The punishment seemed disproportionate to so minor an offense.

## Synonyms
- unequal
- unbalanced
- excessive
- inordinate
- uneven
- lopsided

## Antonyms
- proportionate
- balanced
- commensurate
- equal
- proportional

## Derived Forms
- disproportionately
- disproportionateness

## Related Forms
- disproportion
- proportion
- proportionate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dis-
- Root: proportio
- Root: portio

## Etymology
From dis- ('not') + proportionate, from Latin proportio ('comparative relation'), from pro portione ('according to each part'), from portio ('share, part').

## AI Etymology
Disproportionate is from dis- ('not') + proportionate, from Latin proportio ('comparative relation'), from pro portione ('according to each part'), from portio ('share, part'). The ancestry passes through Latin dis-, Latin proportio, and Latin portio. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as an adjective, it means "too large or too small in comparison with something else", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include disproportion, proportion, and proportionate; derived forms include disproportionately and disproportionateness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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