American English pronunciation
How to pronounce proportion
IPA transcription: [pɹə'pɔɹʃən]
Pronunciation variants: [pɹə'pɔɹʃən][pɹə'pɚʃən]
Hear “proportion” pronounced
[pɹə'pɚʃən]
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[pɹə'pɚʃən]
Quality: 0.92
[pɹə'pɚʃən]
Quality: 0.92
Noun
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the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole
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magnitude or extent
“a building of vast proportions”
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balance among the parts of something
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harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design); - John Ruskin
“in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance”
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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”
“a dry martini has a large proportion of gin”
Verb
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give pleasant proportions to
“harmonize a building with those surrounding it”
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adjust in size relative to other things
Usage examples
- The proportions were all wrong.
- The largest proportion of the forces were in Group West.
- This figure is inversely proportional to specific impulse.
- The tree-lined streets contain a large proportion of houses from this era.
- Enraged, Ursula uses the trident to expand into monstrous proportions.
- However, the proportions of the components of a panzer division changed over time.
- The voltage produced is proportional to the temperature difference between the two junctions.
- A slightly greater than average proportion of people are retired.
- The Seashore Lines is actively exploring solutions to remediate this situation of ruinous proportions.
- Tones signify colors mixed with varying proportions of white or black.