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proportion
[ pruh-pawr-shuhn, -pohr- ]
noun
- comparative relation between things or magnitudes as to size, quantity, number, etc.; ratio.
Synonyms:
- proper relation between things or parts:
to have tastes way out of proportion to one's financial means.
- relative size or extent.
- proportions, dimensions or size:
a rock of gigantic proportions.
- a portion or part in its relation to the whole:
A large proportion of the debt remains.
Synonyms:
- symmetry, harmony, or balance:
an architect with a sense of proportion.
Synonyms: ,
- the significance of a thing or event that an objective view reveals:
You must try to see these mishaps in proportion.
- Mathematics. a relation of four quantities such that the first divided by the second is equal to the third divided by the fourth; the equality of ratios. Compare rule of three.
- Archaic. analogy; comparison.
verb (used with object)
- to adjust in proper proportion or relation, as to size, quantity, etc.
Synonyms: , , ,
- to balance or harmonize the proportions of.
proportion
/ əˈɔːʃə /
noun
- the relationship between different things or parts with respect to comparative size, number, or degree; relative magnitude or extent; ratio
- the correct or desirable relationship between parts of a whole; balance or symmetry
- a part considered with respect to the whole
- plural dimensions or size
a building of vast proportions
- a share, part, or quota
- maths a relationship that maintains a constant ratio between two variable quantities
x increases in direct proportion to y
- maths a relationship between four numbers or quantities in which the ratio of the first pair equals the ratio of the second pair
verb
- to adjust in relative amount, size, etc
- to cause to be harmonious in relationship of parts
proportion
- A statement of equality between two ratios. Four quantities, a, b, c, and d, are said to be in proportion if a b = c d .
Derived Forms
- ˌǰپDzԲˈٲ, noun
- ˈǰپDzԳԳ, noun
- ˈǰپDzԲ, adverb
- ˈǰپDzԲ, adjective
Other Word Forms
- ·ǰtDz· noun
- ·ǰtDz· adjective
- p·ǰtDz noun
- p·ǰtDz verb (used with object)
- p··ǰtDz noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of proportion1
Word History and Origins
Origin of proportion1
Idioms and Phrases
see out of proportion .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
A Hamas official condemned what he called Abbas's "derogatory language" towards "a significant proportion... of his own people".
The North West has the biggest proportion of Catholics outside of London, making up more than one in 10 of the population, according to St Mary's University.
Pippa Chapman's young son had other thoughts, saying simply: "It's been blown out of proportion."
A small sense of proportion might have helped King realize that appearing to compare herself to the first American to travel to space may not help her case.
But in the U.S., a significant proportion of the public continues to believe that climate change is not real, a phenomenon closely linked to political partisanship.
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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