Proportionate

Balanced in scale or intensity relative to what prompts or justifies it.

Reach for it when judging whether a response, cost, or share fairly matches its basis

The panel recommended a proportionate remedy for the limited reporting error.

• everyday

  balanced

  when competing considerations receive fair weight

  not when Balanced concerns distribution and may not compare action with cause.

• everyday

  reasonable

  if the degree falls within defensible practical limits

  not when Reasonable depends on judgment and can conceal an unequal ratio.

• warm

  measured

  for a restrained response shaped by calm judgment

  not when Measured praises manner and restraint but supplies no exact relationship.

• professional

  appropriate

  if overall suitability matters more than mathematical balance

  not when Appropriate can fit the setting without being proportionate in scale.

• professional

  scaled

  where size changes systematically with demand or capacity

  not when Scaled describes adjustment but not fairness or appropriateness.

• formal

  commensurate

  when reward, cost, or responsibility should match a measurable basis

  not when Commensurate is elevated and usually needs an explicit 'with' comparison.

• disproportionate
• excessive
• inadequate

• proportionate response

  A written reminder was a proportionate response to the first minor lapse.

• proportionate share

  Each district received a proportionate share based on its student population.

• fair and proportionate

  The revised fee was fair and proportionate to the service provided.