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

Organizations often concentrate a disproportionate share of their annual marketing budget on a single campaign tied to a specific moment of the year. — Stefano Marrone, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Meanwhile, a small population of high earners would receive up to five votes each—a fivefold multiplier on political power concentrated in the hands of people already holding disproportionate economic power. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026

The United States’ disproportionate dependence on China’s pharmaceuticals certainly poses risks to our supply chains, but not for the reasons national security experts emphasize. — Pooja Yerramilli, STAT, 24 July 2026

Some expressed the view that the emails were disproportionate and that the club had taken a block-first-ask-questions-later approach. — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 22 July 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