Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'disproportionate'

English Word: disproportionate

Key Russian Translations:

• непропорциональный /nʲɪprəprɐˈtsɨɪnɨj/ - [Formal, Adjective; Used in contexts involving imbalance in size, quantity, or importance]
• несоразмерный /nʲɪsərəzˈmʲɛrnɨj/ - [Formal, Adjective; Often applied to physical or abstract disproportions, such as in architecture or economics]

Frequency: Medium (This word and its translations are commonly encountered in formal writing, academic discussions, and professional contexts, but less so in everyday casual speech.)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; Requires understanding of Russian adjective declensions and abstract concepts. For 'непропорциональный', the difficulty is B2 due to its regular patterns; for 'несоразмерный', it remains B2 as it follows similar rules.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

непропорциональный: /nʲɪprəprɐˈtsɨɪnɨj/ (Stress on the fourth syllable; the 'й' sound is a soft palatal approximant, which can be challenging for beginners.)

несоразмерный: /nʲɪsərəzˈmʲɛrnɨj/ (Stress on the third syllable; Note the soft 'мʲ' which indicates palatalization, common in Russian adjectives.)

Note on непропорциональный: Be cautious with the cluster of consonants; native speakers often soften the pronunciation in rapid speech. For несоразмерный, the initial 'нʲ' is a palatalized 'n', which may vary slightly by dialect.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning: Not in proportion or balance; referring to something that is unequal or excessive in relation to another element.

Translation(s) & Context:

• непропорциональный - Used in formal or technical contexts, such as describing imbalances in statistics, budgets, or physical attributes.
• несоразмерный - Applied in scenarios involving mismatch in scale, like in design, law, or social issues, often implying a sense of injustice.

Usage Examples:

• Зарплата этого работника непропорциональна его вкладу в проект.

  The salary of this employee is disproportionate to his contribution to the project. (This example shows the adjective in a professional context, highlighting imbalance in compensation.)

• Расходы на рекламу оказались несоразмерными ожидаемым доходам.

  The advertising expenses turned out to be disproportionate to the expected income. (Here, it demonstrates use in financial discussions, emphasizing mismatch.)

• В этом дизайне размер окон непропорционален высоте здания.

  In this design, the size of the windows is disproportionate to the height of the building. (This illustrates application in architecture, varying sentence structure.)

• Его реакция была несоразмерной проступку, что вызвало конфликт.

  His reaction was disproportionate to the offense, which caused a conflict. (Example in emotional or social contexts, showing variability in usage.)

• Инфляция сделала цены на продукты непропорциональными зарплатам.

  Inflation has made the prices of goods disproportionate to salaries. (This shows the word in economic discussions, with a broader societal implication.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'непропорциональный' and 'несоразмерный' are adjectives in Russian, which means they inflect for gender, number, and case. Russian adjectives follow a regular pattern for most cases, but they must agree with the nouns they modify. These adjectives are not irregular, but learners should note the palatalization in certain forms.

For both words, if used in a predicative sense, they may take a short form (e.g., непропорционален), which is invariant in gender but agrees in number.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • несбалансированный (nesbalansirovannyy) - Similar but often implies a lack of balance more than disproportion.
  • неадекватный (neadequatnyy) - Used when the disproportion suggests inadequacy, with a nuance of unsuitability.
• Antonyms:
  • пропорциональный (proportsional'nyy)
  • сбалансированный (sbalansirovannyy)

Related Phrases:

• непропорционально большой - Disproportionately large (Used to describe something excessively oversized in relation to its context.)
• несоразмерные затраты - Disproportionate expenses (Common in financial discussions, implying wasteful spending.)
• в непропорциональном соотношении - In disproportionate ratio (A phrase for technical or scientific contexts.)

Usage Notes:

'Непропорциональный' is the most direct equivalent to 'disproportionate' and is preferred in formal English-to-Russian translations for its precision. Use 'несоразмерный' when emphasizing a mismatch that feels unjust or illogical. Both words are typically formal; avoid them in casual conversation where simpler terms like 'слишком большой' (too big) might suffice. Grammatically, ensure the adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. When choosing between translations, opt for 'непропорциональный' in scientific or mathematical contexts, and 'несоразмерный' in social or ethical ones.

Common Errors:

• Ошибка: Using the adjective without proper agreement, e.g., saying "непропорциональный женщина" instead of "непропорциональная женщина" (for feminine noun).

  Правильный вариант: непропорциональная женщина. Объяснение: Russian adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify; this is a common oversight for English speakers used to invariant adjectives.

• Ошибка: Confusing with synonyms, e.g., using 'неадекватный' when 'disproportionate' is meant, which implies 'inadequate' rather than just unbalanced.

  Правильный вариант: Use 'непропорциональный' for pure disproportion. Объяснение: 'Неадекватный' adds a connotation of unsuitability, potentially altering the meaning.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and language, words like 'непропорциональный' and 'несоразмерный' often appear in discussions of social inequality or economic disparities, reflecting historical contexts such as the Soviet era's emphasis on balanced distribution. They can carry subtle connotations of criticism toward imbalances in society, which might not be as pronounced in English usage.

Related Concepts:

• пропорция (proportsiya)
• баланс (balans)
• несбалансированность (nesbalansirovannost')