Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To fail to place in proper proportion; join or compare without due proportion.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To give wrong or unesthetic proportions to; to join without due proportion.
- noun An improper or unesthetic proportion.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To give the wrong
proportions to.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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As she wrote to her father, "the worst kind of misproportion is that which leaves out all fun and jokes and laughing.
Patty Fairfield Carolyn Wells 1902
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The Southern men see nothing but misproportion in what is enormous.
On Nothing and Kindred Subjects Hilaire Belloc 1911
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The plant forms are strange and various, making mosaic of contrasting range of leaf-size and leaf-shape, palm and grass and fern, epiphyte and liana and clumpy mistletoe, of grace and clumsiness and even misproportion, a tall thick landscape all mingled into a symmetry of disorder that charms the attention and fascinates the eye.
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But it would be impossible, in so small a book as this, to examine them in detail without incurring a just charge of misproportion.
Life of Robert Browning Sharp, William, 1855-1905 1897
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Before we leave this subject, look at Plate II, in which you will see a curious use of misproportion -- intentional, too, in this case -- and used for quite other than humorous purposes.
Wood-Carving Design and Workmanship George Jack 1894
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The broad-humor characteristic of the companion picture of medieval life, in the little domestic scene, Fig. 65, is equally free from forced exaggeration or intentional misproportion.
Wood-Carving Design and Workmanship George Jack 1894
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Doubtless, very serious mistakes might be made in the organisation of the managing as well as of the overlooking organs -- there might be a serious misproportion in the powers conferred.
Freeland A Social Anticipation Theodor Hertzka 1884
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But it would be impossible, in so small a book as this, to examine them in detail without incurring a just charge of misproportion.
Life of Robert Browning William Sharp 1880
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It was this misproportion which gave a piquancy to her expression and which in charming people, no doubt made them believe her handsome.
At Fault Kate Chopin 1877
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We not only lose our children under this atomizing scheme of piety, which is a loss we can not afford, but a certain misproportion is induced, which distempers all our efforts and demonstrations.
Christian Nurture. 1802-1876 1876
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