# commensurate

/kəˈmɛnsɝət/ (US) · /kəmˈɛnsəɹət/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/commensurate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. proportionate

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

matching something in size, quality, or importance.

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

- Her new salary was finally commensurate with her many years of experience.
- 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. measurable by the same standard

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

able to be measured by the same units or rules.

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

- The two lengths are commensurate because they can both be measured in inches.
- In classical geometry, two magnitudes are said to be commensurate if their ratio can be expressed as a rational number.

### 3. crystal structure

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

- The researchers studied how the commensurate layer formed on the metal surface.
- The transition from an incommensurate to a commensurate phase was observed as the temperature of the substrate was gradually lowered.

## Examples

- The salary is commensurate with the level of responsibility.
- The team's success was commensurate with the amount of effort they had invested in the project.
- In physics, the force exerted on an object is commensurate with the mass of the object and the acceleration it experiences, as described by Newton's second law.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.