English Reference
adjective

commensurate

adj.
US /kəˈmɛnsɝət/ UK /kəmˈɛnsəɹət/ com·men·su·rate UK spelling commensurated, commensurating

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Formal

    matching something in size, quality, or importance.

    corresponding in size, degree, or proportion; proportionate to a specific standard.

    Simple

    Her new salary was finally commensurate with her many years of experience.

    In context

    The board argued that the executive's bonus should be commensurate with the company's actual performance rather than projected growth.

    Usage

    Almost always followed by the preposition 'with'.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Math

    able to be measured by the same units or rules.

    having a common measure; divisible by the same unit without a remainder.

    Simple

    The two lengths are commensurate because they can both be measured in inches.

    In context

    In classical geometry, two magnitudes are said to be commensurate if their ratio can be expressed as a rational number.

    coextensive
    incommensurable
  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    describing a crystal where every part is in the exact same relative position.

    describing a crystal lattice in which the positions of all atoms or molecules are periodic and match the underlying structure.

    Simple

    The researchers studied how the commensurate layer formed on the metal surface.

    In context

    The transition from an incommensurate to a commensurate phase was observed as the temperature of the substrate was gradually lowered.

    incommensurate

He acknowledged the target was "really stretching" but said nearly 180,000 children were in temporary accommodation and "any smaller target wouldn't be commensurate with the scale of the challenge".

BBC News· 23 Aug 2026

To be appointed to the levels commensurate with our actual credentials, to have our work taken seriously by intellectual peers, and to be paid fairly and on equal terms for our labour.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

First attested in 1641; borrowed from Late Latin commēnsūrātus, from com- (“together, with”) + mēnsūrātus, perfect passive participle of mēnsūrō (“to measure, to estimate”), (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin mēnsūra (“measure”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin mēnsūra
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated