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

More broadly, this same chain of logic turns the Voting Rights Act into a zombie law, a perversion of its intended purpose that now mostly protects white Americans from any attempts to break their disproportionate control of voting machinery. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

While the proposal may be well intentioned in its goal of addressing plastic waste, its current design threatens to place a disproportionate burden on the very small businesses that keep our neighborhoods vibrant and fed. —Francisco Marte, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026

Drone warfare would see a disproportionate share of that increase — triple the 2026 appropriations for drone warfare. —Ryan Morgan, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2026

Black women die from breast cancer at a disproportionate rate. —Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 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