Disproportionately

How to spell disproportionately

18 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce disproportionately

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does disproportionately mean?

1. adverbTo an extent that is too large or too small in relation to something else; out of fair balance.

Disproportionately in a sentence

• The new tax fell disproportionately on lower earners.

• Older buildings consume a disproportionately large share of the heating budget.

Where does disproportionately come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This long word unpacks into several familiar Latin pieces. At its heart is the Latin portio, meaning a 'share' or 'part', which combined with the preposition pro to give the phrase pro portione, literally 'according to each part' or 'in relation to the whole'. From this came the noun 'proportion', borrowed into English through Old French in the late 1300s for the relationship of one quantity to another. The negative prefix dis- was attached to form 'disproportionate', describing something out of balance with what it should be, and the adverb-forming suffix -ly produced 'disproportionately'. Because the word is built layer upon layer, the spelling trap lies in the buried, unstressed middle: the -portion- core keeps its -tion spelling, and the schwa sounds in -ate- and the final -ly are easy to lose when writing at speed.

How the word is built

• dis- (not, opposite of)
• pro- (according to)
• portion (share, part)
• -ate (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)