proportionately

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'proportionately' is correct and usable in written English.
It expresses the idea of something being related to size or extent in comparison to something else. For example, "Sales of the new product have increased proportionately relative to the amount of advertising done for it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

While Crawley has a proportionately much smaller Muslim population than others on the list, the West Sussex town was in the spotlight last year as the home of the first British jihadi suicide bomber of the Syrian civil war, and of three men jailed in 2007 for a bomb plot investigated by police under Operation Crevice.

The Guardian

The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, David Anderson, has previously warned about the importance of using schedule 7 proportionately.

The Guardian

States pass anti-terror laws that grant exceptional powers on the strict understanding that terror poses exceptional threats and that such powers will be used proportionately.

The Guardian

That constitutes harassment... Britain and the US must act carefully and proportionately in their pursuit of Mr Snowden and his allies, especially journalists.

The Guardian

Britain's DNA database now holds the samples of 4.4 million people and is proportionately the world's largest.

The Guardian - Opinion

"I strongly believe that stop and search should be used proportionately, without prejudice, and with the support of local communities … and I have asked the Association of Chief Police Officers to look at best practice on stop and search".

The Guardian

However for public confidence to be maintained it is important that the Government, police and security services are seen to abide by the rule of law, and to operate proportionately with proper checks and balances in place.

The Guardian

UK consumers are estimated to spend an average of 25% more on music than people in other developed nations, which has the effect of proportionately greater sales of technology products, according to the research.

The Guardian - Tech

And, compared to its population of 14m people, it has a proportionately high number of refugees - 8.5 for every 1,000 people.

The Guardian

This number, the Golden Mean Long Leg, or GMLL, is used for its quadratic qualities of repeating when squared, proportionately.

WikiHow

Coronary heart disease is still overall the most common single cause of avoidable death, having fallen proportionately more for men than women.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "proportionately" to clearly indicate a direct relationship between two quantities or values. Ensure the context specifies what the comparison is being made against to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "proportionately" when simply indicating a change or difference without a clear proportional link. For example, don't say "The price increased proportionately" without specifying what the price is proportional to, such as "the cost of materials".

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "proportionately" is to act as an adverb, modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to indicate that something is done or changes in relation to something else. As Ludwig AI confirms, it expresses an idea related to size or extent in comparison.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

78%

Wiki

12%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The adverb "proportionately" is used to indicate that something is in proportion or has a direct relationship with something else. According to Ludwig AI, it is grammatically correct and expresses the idea of a comparative relationship of size or extent. Appearing most frequently in news and media sources, its usage spans from formal to neutral registers. Alternative phrases include "in proportion" and "correspondingly". Use "proportionately" when you want to show how two things vary in relation to each other, ensuring clarity about the proportional link to avoid misinterpretations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in proportion

This phrase directly states the proportional relationship, offering a slightly more explicit construction.

correspondingly

This alternative emphasizes a direct correspondence or parallel relationship.

relatively

This term highlights the comparative aspect of the relationship, focusing on the degree of proportion.

commensurately

This word suggests that the relationship is balanced and appropriate.

pro rata

This Latin term is used especially in financial or legal contexts to indicate a distribution based on a proportional share.

in equal measure

Implies a balance and similarity in the way two things are done.

in direct relation

This phrase states clearly that the relation is direct.

accordingly

It denotes consequence or a logical result of a prior condition or action.

dependently

Emphasizes the dependent relationship between the things being compared.

with respect to

Suggests that something is evaluated, measured, or compared considering another element or aspect.

FAQs

How to use "proportionately" in a sentence?

Use "proportionately" to show a relationship in size, amount, or degree. For instance, "The effort required increased "proportionately" with the complexity of the task."

What can I say instead of "proportionately"?

You can use alternatives like "in proportion", "correspondingly", or "relatively" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "proportionately" or "proportionally"?

Both "proportionately" and "proportionally" are correct and essentially interchangeable, though "proportionately" might be slightly more common in contemporary usage.

What's the difference between "proportionately" and "relatively"?

"Proportionately" implies a direct correspondence or ratio between two quantities, while "relatively" simply indicates a comparison without necessarily implying a specific mathematical relationship.