[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/proportional.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / proportional

[← P](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/P/)

# proportional

«proportional» in Mova's school dictionary: **proportional if they grow or shrink together at the same…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (proportional)

### meaning for a pupil

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://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/#m2)

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

### In the corpora

- [Proportional representation is a different system in which a party's share of seats matches its share of votes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/17-uk-elections-and-the-prime-minister-as-reported/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «proportional» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proportional/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.