overproportion

[ verb oh-ver-pruh-pawr-shuhn, -pohr-; noun oh-ver-pruh-pawr-shuhn, -pohr- ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make or measure in excess of the correct, normal, or desired proportion.

noun

1. the excessiveness of something in relation to another or to what is considered correct, desirable, or normal; inequity or imbalance:

   the overproportion of insurance to income.

Other Words From

• over·pro·portion·ate adjective
• over·pro·portion·ate·ly adverb
• over·pro·portioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of overproportion¹

First recorded in 1635–45; over- + proportion

Example Sentences

Also, there are too many familiar stories of iconoclastic rebels and a slight overproportion of well-to-do, English-speaking characters, given the milieu of residents in commercialized, cab-hailing Shanghai.

From Washington Post