What does "proportion" mean?
A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.
Proportion
/pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.
- Grammar: proportion is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: balance, ratio, accommodate, accord.
- Useful contrasts: disproportion, disproportions, distort.
- Usage evidence: You will progress in proportion to your abilities.
How to use "proportion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "proportion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "proportion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "proportion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "proportion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "proportion" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "balance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "proportion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number. countable
"“I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital,[…]!”"
- 2 harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design) wordnet
- 3 Harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole. uncountable
- 4 magnitude or extent wordnet
- 5 Proper or equal share. countable
"Let the women[…]do the same things in their proportions and capacities."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the relation between things (or parts of things) with respect to their comparative quantity, magnitude, or degree wordnet
- 7 The relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree. countable, uncountable
"the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body"
- 8 the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole wordnet
- 9 A statement of equality between two ratios. countable
- 10 balance among the parts of something wordnet
- 11 The "rule of three", in which three terms are given to find a fourth. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 12 Size. countable, in-plural
"The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…]. Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold."
Verb
- 1 To divide into proper shares; to apportion. transitive
"In order to proportion the braking force to the weight carried by a wheel - a matter of special importance in the braking of wagons - variable leverage systems are now being introduced in which the end of one axle spring is linked to a control spring in the change-over valve, so automatically varying the leverage exerted by the brake-rod according to whether the wagon is full or empty."
- 2 adjust in size relative to other things wordnet
- 3 To form symmetrically. transitive
- 4 give pleasant proportions to wordnet
- 5 To set or render in proportion. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To correspond to. archaic, transitive
Example
"You will progress in proportion to your abilities."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "proportion"?
Common synonyms include: balance, ratio, accommodate, accord, acreage, adapt.
How do you use "proportion" in a sentence?
You will progress in proportion to your abilities.
How do you pronounce "proportion"?
Pronounced /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/.
Etymology
From Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō (“comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy”), from pro (“for, before”) + portio (“share, part”); see portion.