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proportion

/pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/noun, verb3 syllables

Proportion means: harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design).

Synonyms for proportion5

noun, as in harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)

proportionality, balance

noun, as in magnitude or extent

noun, as in balance among the parts of something

noun, as in the relation between things (or parts of things) with respect to their comparative quantity, magnitude, or degree

ratio

Opposites of proportion

disproportion

What does proportion mean?7

noun

1

harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)“in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance”

2

magnitude or extent“a building of vast proportions”

3

balance among the parts of something

4

the relation between things (or parts of things) with respect to their comparative quantity, magnitude, or degree“an inordinate proportion of the book is given over to quotations”

5

the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole

verb

1

give pleasant proportions to“red brick with white stone dressings and a beautifully proportioned hall”

2

adjust in size relative to other things

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with proportion?4

two syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

Proportion in a sentence

  • In an upturn, the proportion of children eligible for free school meals falls.LK
  • In proportion as the sales increase, the profit will rise.unknown
  • A working man should be paid in proportion to his skill, not his age.CM
  • A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence.Scott
  • The wages will be paid in proportion to the work done.fishda
  • The income tax rate increases in proportion as your salary rises.fishda
  • Each man's pay will be in proportion to his work.auxitt
  • Each man's pay was in proportion to his work.CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of proportion

as a noun

plural
proportions

as a verb

past tense
proportioned
present participle
proportioning
third-person singular
proportions
past participle
proportioned