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# proportional

adjective (proportional)

«proportional» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. In maths, two amounts are proportional if they grow or shrink together at the same rate, so that one is always the same number times the other. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#m1)
2. Proportional means having the right size or amount compared with something else, fair in size. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#m2)

### In the lessons

In maths lessons, if 1 pencil costs 20p then 5 pencils cost 100p — cost is directly proportional to the number of pencils; the graph is a straight line through zero. Recipes and maps use proportion too. In ethics and law, a punishment should be proportional to the wrong done. In politics, «proportional representation» gives parties seats in proportion to their votes. Common phrases: «directly proportional», «inversely proportional», «proportional to», «proportional representation».

### Examples

- The cost is proportional to the number of tickets you buy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x1)
- If you double the recipe, keep the ingredients proportional. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x2)
- The time taken is inversely proportional to the speed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x3)
- Her drawing of the face was nicely proportional. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x4)
- The punishment should be proportional to what he did wrong. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x5)
- On a graph, proportional amounts make a straight line through zero. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x6)
- New Zealand uses a kind of proportional representation in elections. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#x7)

### Note

Use «proportional to». In maths: «directly proportional» — when one doubles, the other doubles; «inversely proportional» — when one doubles, the other halves (more workers, fewer days). Trap: amounts that both increase are not always proportional — the ratio must stay the same (for example, a taxi with a starting fee is not proportional).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «proportional» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«proportional» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/proportional.html) on Mova free.