1
[ noun ] the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole

Synonyms

proportionality

Used in print

(Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)

The popularity of folklore in America stands in direct proportion to the popularity of nationalism in America .

(B. J. D. Meeuse, The Story of Pollination....)

As a result , the proportion of males ( which leave the nest ) increases , and eventually the old colony will die_out completely .

(Clifford H. Pope, The Giant Snakes....)

It seems likely that the Indian_python comes_out ahead because records of its growth have been made more carefully and frequently ; it responds exceptionally well to captivity and does not reach proportions that make it hard to keep .

(Jacob Robbins et al., "The thyroid-stimulating...)

With lower levels , thyroid hypertrophy and increased thyroid blood flow enable the thyroid to accumulate a larger proportion of the daily intake of iodine .

(Frederick Mosteller et al., Probability with...)

Ten students act_as managers for a high-school football_team , and of these managers a proportion p are licensed drivers .

2
[ noun ] magnitude or extent

Synonyms

dimension

Examples

"a building of vast proportions"

Used in print

(L. Don Leet and Florence J. Leet, editors, The World of...)

They usually range from 20 to 60 feet in_height , but when they pour into a V shaped inlet or harbor they may rise to mountainous proportions .

(Robert E. Lane, The Liberties of Wit: Humanism, Critici...)

A need so deeply planted , asking for direction , so_to_speak , is likely to be gratified by the vivid examples and heroic proportions of literature .

(A.L. Kroeber, "Semantic Contribution of Lexicostatistic...)

In proportion as meanings are concrete , we can better rely_on their being insulated and distinctive .

I would propose , first , an abandonment of attempts at a universal lexical list , as intrinsically unachievable , and operationally inadequate in proportion as it is achieved .

Related terms

magnitude

3
[ noun ] balance among the parts of something

Synonyms

symmetry

Used in print

(Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy....)

His Mary would be slender of limb and delicate of proportion , yet she must hold this full-grown man as securely and convincingly as she would a child .

4
[ verb ] adjust in size relative to other things

Related terms

adjust scale_up scale_down

5
[ verb ] give pleasant proportions to

Examples

"harmonize a building with those surrounding it"

Related terms

harmonize symmetry

6
[ noun ] harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)

Synonyms

balance

Examples

: "in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance"- John Ruskin

Related terms

placement

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