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

High performers begin to feel invisible despite carrying disproportionate responsibility, a recipe for disengagement and eventual departure. —Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

The projection sharply contrasts with the Congressional Budget Office's assessment of the House version of the bill, which estimates a deficit increase of up to $2.8 trillion over the same period and warns of disproportionate impacts on low-income Americans. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

The problem of over-policing Black and brown individuals and those living in poor communities creates a disproportionate impact. —Natasha Dartigue, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2025

Environmental injustice and disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards. —Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025

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