disproportion

noun

Definition of disproportionnext
as in difference
formal a state of being different in a way that is not fair, reasonable, or expected The author does not explain the disproportion between the value of the stones.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disproportion Between the assassination in Sarajevo, the mass slaughter in the trenches, and the stagnant front lines lie disproportions so immense that cause and effect lose all relation. — George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025 The implications of this enormous disproportion are obvious, given that few governments support more than one or a handful of official languages. — Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024 Those numbers and disproportion are likely to explode under the new law, in a climate where many people of color oppose Israel’s actions and many members of the Jewish faith see dangerous antisemites behind ugly encounters around Israel. — Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024 In a world of absolute equality, there would be no place left for derangements of disproportion. — Becca Rothfeld, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for disproportion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disproportion
  1. difference
  2. distinctness
  3. distinctiveness
  4. imbalance
  5. distinction
  6. disparity
  7. inequality
Noun
  • The two started off as enemies as Judy joined the Zootopia Police Department, but then put aside their differences to solve a mystery in the animal city.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • There is a difference in the cases of Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, in that the former has been far more involved in some monumental moments.
    — Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of difference
Noun
  • How can the sense of an absolute union of all matter be reconciled with the endless multiplicity and distinctness of it?
    — Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • However, a few hours with Air Riders reveals the nuance and depth of its gameplay, the distinctness of this flavor of racing game and its sensory, chaotic, and strategic appeal.
    — Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of distinctness
Noun
  • America is the ultimate answer to the pogrom, and to the emancipation Europe offered on the condition of relinquishing Jewish ethnic and cultural distinctiveness.
    — Rory Lancman, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • In a portfolio of consumer brands, each brand's value lies substantially in its distinctiveness.
    — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of distinctiveness
Noun
  • There’s a frightening imbalance in how the mainstream media report on these candidates, which tends to take it pretty easy on the latter.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • San Jose already has one of the most challenging jobs-to-housing imbalances, and housing development not accompanied by sufficient employment growth will further strain city finances.
    — Pierluigi Oliverio, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of imbalance
Noun
  • There is an important distinction between making cement less polluting and actually removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Schore makes a similar distinction when discussing workplace anger.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of distinction
Noun
  • Judges are free to ignore sentencing guidelines, which are intended to reduce disparities in punishments levied for the same crimes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Your wife must love that poem and the acknowledgment of the disparity between how men are just, like, acknowledged and applauded for just being a father out in public with their kids and the way women are just expected to be that way.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of disparity
Noun
  • Over the past 50 years, education financing lawsuits, aimed at eliminating inequalities in education funding, have made their way through state courts, with some important and high-profile successes.
    — Quinn Yeargain, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles is a city of stark inequality, which makes the arrival of George Lucas‘s billion-dollar Lucas Museum of Narrative Art especially charged, as Jori Finkel writes in the Art Newspaper.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of inequality

Browse Nearby Words

disproofs
disproportion
disproportionate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disproportion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disproportion. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on disproportion

Nglish: Translation of disproportion for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All