# proportional

/pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəɫ/ (US) · /pɹəpˈɔːʃənəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/proportional
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. matching in size or amount

adjective · CEFR B2

changing in size, amount, or degree according to something else.

For teachers: corresponding in size or amount to something else; maintaining a constant ratio as another variable changes.

- The punishment should be proportional to the crime.
- The weight of the object is directly proportional to its mass, meaning that as mass increases, the weight increases at a constant rate.

Usage: Often followed by the preposition 'to'.

### 2. typography

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing a style of printing where different letters take up different amounts of space.

For teachers: relating to a typeface where characters have varying widths based on their natural shape, rather than a fixed width.

- Most books use a proportional font because it is easier to read than a typewriter style.
- Proportional spacing allows the letter 'i' to occupy significantly less horizontal space than the letter 'm', resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing text block.

### 3. a proportion

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old word for a portion or a ratio.

For teachers: a value or quantity that exists in a specific ratio to another.

- The old text discussed the mathematical proportional of the two circles.
- In his early seventeenth-century treatise, the author calculates the exact proportional required to balance the architectural load.

Teaching tip: This noun sense is extremely rare in modern English; learners should use 'proportion' or 'ratio' instead.

## Examples

- The punishment should be proportional to the crime.
- In this company, your annual bonus is proportional to the number of sales you close each quarter.
- The architect ensured that the height of the ceiling was proportional to the room's floor area to maintain a sense of aesthetic balance.

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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.