Proportion Meaning
/pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.
nounHarmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole.
Sentence Examples
You will progress in proportion to your abilities.
The wages will be paid in proportion to the work done.
Water covers a large proportion of the earth's surface.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires a large ____ of flour to sugar for the perfect cake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The architect ensured that the ____ of each room was carefully balanced to create a harmonious space.
Word Origin & History
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. By surface analysis, pro- + portion.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“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,[…]!”"
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"Let the women[…]do the same things in their proportions and capacities."
— 1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC:
"The image of Christ made in Pilate's time after his own proportion."
— 1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC:
"Formed in the best proportions of her sex."
— 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
"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."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires a large ____ of flour to sugar for the perfect cake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The architect ensured that the ____ of each room was carefully balanced to create a harmonious space.