proportional representation

noun

: an electoral system in which the number of seats held by a political group or party in a legislative body is determined by the number of popular votes received

Examples of proportional representation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of electing one winner per district, proportional representation uses multi-member districts and allocates seats based on vote share. —Duane Roberts, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025

Many feature multi-member districts with proportional representation that remove incentives to gerrymander, independent commissions that remove direct political control from map-drawing, and legal frameworks that prioritize representational fairness over partisan advantage. —Davina Hurt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025

Broadly speaking, people of color as well as women in lead streaming film roles exceeded proportional representation. —Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

Because beneath the innocuous-sounding words lies a morally dubious effort to create a permanent racial spoils system based on racial/ethnic proportional representation. —Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for proportional representation

• deinstitutionalization
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration