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

Executive teams bear the weight of solving nearly existential organizational challenges, often intensified by internal dynamics and a disproportionate focus on individual rather than collective development. —Sarah Elk, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

Jared Cohen of Goldman Sachs Global Institute said there’s a disproportionate amount of capital coming from nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE, and a willingness to deploy it around the world. —Kate Rooney,kevin Schmidt, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2024

The greatest percentage of vehicles purchased by low-income consumers are used, which means that group will likely be sold a disproportionate share of recalled vehicles. —Matthew Dolan, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024

Rivendell has twelve employees, a disproportionate number of whom are into vintage cameras; for a while, the shop had a darkroom. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

disproportionate

adjective

dis·​pro·​por·​tion·​ate ˌdis-prə-ˈpōr-sh(ə-)nət 

-ˈpȯr-

: being out of proportion

disproportionately adverb