disproportionate

adjective dis·pro·por·tion·ate \ -sh(ə-)nət \

Definition of disproportionate

:being out of proportion

a disproportionate share

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disproportionately

adverb

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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 of disproportionate from the Web

Speaking Tuesday, Ashley Pintos, a member of the hospitality workers group, argued RTA's fleet boasts a disproportionate number of streetcars per rail route compared to buses.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "RTA officials blast recent criticism of bus service, streetcars," 22 Aug. 2017
And a disproportionate number of these students are children of color.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Report: Majority Of Students Who Attend Public Schools Named After Confederate Leaders Are Of Color," 18 Aug. 2017
Scientists say blacks’ disproportionate rates of dementia may be related in part to the prevalence of disorders that raise the risk of vascular disease: diabetes and hypertension, for instance.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks," 9 Aug. 2017
Obamacare authorized these payments as reimbursements for insurers who sign up disproportionate numbers of low-income customers.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Last-Gasp Attack on Obamacare Is Wild Threats," 2 Aug. 2017
The measure would withhold criminal justice federal funding to anti-marijuana states if data shows a racially disproportionate prison and arrest rate for marijuana.

— david kravets, Ars Technica, "Pot removed from controlled substance list under proposed legislation," 1 Aug. 2017
Private firms are much more productive, but state firms gobble up a disproportionate share of resources.

— The Economist, "Reform of China’s ailing state-owned firms is emboldening them," 20 July 2017
While the study didn’t look for dementia symptoms specifically, the authors point out that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is rising—and that minority communities are affected at disproportionate rates.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "Stressful Events Can Age the Brain by up to 4 Years," 17 July 2017
A key aspect of the initiative is to focus on people and places that have a disproportionate impact on an area, whether it’s habitual offenders or businesses and vacant homes that become a magnet for criminal activity.

— ivan moreno, The Seattle Times, "In Milwaukee, prosecutors hit neighborhoods, not just court," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disproportionate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.