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

Together, Ukraine’s tactical, operational, and strategic drone campaigns represent one of the most important military innovations of the conflict and offer a model for how smaller states can impose disproportionate costs on larger adversaries. —Hunter Lacroix, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2026

Lower-income communities thus bear a disproportionate share of the resulting health burden. —Patricia J. Kissinger, STAT, 18 June 2026

But now, a new study reveals the disproportionate environmental impact caused by the world’s biggest consumers. —Simmone Shah, Time, 18 June 2026

Jewish New Yorkers in particular have borne a disproportionate share of this violence in recent years. —Zohran Mamdani, New York Daily News, 17 June 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