proportional response
Fitting scaled reaction
A proportional response matches the scale or severity of what provoked it—neither too little nor too much.
The phrase appears most often in military and diplomatic contexts, where international norms expect retaliation to be commensurate with the original offense: The administration debated what would constitute a proportional response to the cyberattack.
The concept extends to everyday conflicts—responding to a minor slight with nuclear rage violates the principle.
- measuredCarefully considered, unhurried
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- eye for an eyePunishment matching the offense
- restraintControl over impulses
- calibratedAdjusted for accuracy
rules of engagement · counterstrike · balanced · tit-for-tat · diplomatic · deterrence · show of strength · use of force · force · justified · just war · military · sanctions · strategic · calculated · appropriate · mirror · matching
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
- self-defenseself-defense, martial arts, self-protection, karate, pepper spray
- Nuclear Armsnuclear arms, nukes, atom bomb, nuclear warheads, hydrogen bombs
- retaliationrevenge, retaliation, payback, reprisal, vengeance
- Sentencing Factorsmitigating factors, aggravating factors, extenuating circumstances, criminal history, prior record
- military doctrineattrition warfare, combined arms, deterrence, total war, conventional warfare
proportional responsedisproportionate response
overreaction · excessive force · massive retaliation · overkill · nuclear option
proportional, proportion, proportionally, proportionality, proportionate, proportionately, disproportional, disproportionate, disproportionately