Meaning & use
proportionality
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The state of being in a correct or fair relative size, amount, or degree compared to something else.
See it in a sentence
The court examined whether the punishment satisfied the principle of proportionality.
Engineers rely on proportionality between force and displacement in a well-designed spring.
A note on using this word
Frequently used in legal and ethical contexts to judge whether a response or penalty is appropriately matched to the situation.
Words with a similar meaning
balanceequivalence
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
disproportion
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