Disproportionate means uneven or out of balance with something in terms of size, ratio, degree, or extent.

Disproportionate is the opposite of proportionate. Proportionate is the adjective form of the noun proportion, which refers to the relative size of two or more things. When something is described as disproportionate to something else, it means they are somehow unevenly matched.

Example: The military response—striking a dozen different sites with missiles—has been criticized as disproportionate to the act that supposedly provoked it—a single plane briefly entering a no-fly zone.

The first records of disproportionate come from the mid-1500s. The word is a combination of the prefix dis-, meaning “not,” and the word proportionate. Proportionate is the adjective form of the noun proportion, which comes from the Latin prōportiōn-, meaning “symmetry” or “analogy.”

In general, disproportionate relates to the sizes, degrees, and amounts of things in comparison to each other. Some things are disproportionate based on being outside of what their usual proportions should be. Michelangelo’s famous sculpture David is disproportionate—the head and hands are much larger than they would be on a person of that size (of course, this was almost certainly done intentionally).

Scientists might find that a disease disproportionately affects certain people (such as those with a certain genetic makeup), meaning it affects them more than a random selection of the population. The word disproportionate is often used in criticism of things that are out of proportion in an unfair way. A punishment might be called disproportionate if it’s overly extreme, such as a long prison sentence for a minor crime.

What are some other forms related to disproportionate?

• disproportion (noun)
• disproportionately (adverb)
• proportioned (adjective)
• disproportionateness (noun)

What are some synonyms for disproportionate?

• lopsided
• uneven
• incommensurate

What are some words that share a root or word element with disproportionate? 

• proportionate
• proportion
• portion

What are some words that often get used in discussing disproportionate?

• response
• effect
• rate
• scale
• ratio
• unequal
• representation

The word disproportionate indicates unevenness and it often implies unfairness.

Pompeo in calls with foreign counterparts today is reiterating "the United States is committed to de-escalation," even as Trumpov is threatening Iran with a "disproportionate" military response including striking Iranian cultural sites

— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) January 6, 2020

Have you ever seen something as anatomically disproportionate as the Canada Lynx? pic.twitter.com/g7V9Ze6epN

— Jameson Di Nucci (@jamesondinucci) May 7, 2020

We should all be critical of the disproportionate number of NSF fellows awarded to students from top tiered institutions and challenge the application process to be more equitable

— Jamelle (@JamelleWD) April 1, 2020

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe a situation considered disproportionate?

A. equal
B. uneven
C. mismatched
D. lopsided