An imbalance is a situation where things are unequal or out of proper proportion. When a basketball team has seven players on one side and only three on the other, there's an imbalance. When one friend does all the talking and never listens, that's an imbalance in the conversation.

A doctor might diagnose a chemical imbalance in someone's body, meaning certain substances aren't at the right levels. A seesaw with a heavy kid on one end and a light kid on the other shows a clear imbalance.

Imbalances can happen with almost anything that should be balanced: time (spending six hours on video games but only ten minutes on homework creates an imbalance), effort (when one group member does all the work while others coast along), or even emotions (feeling angry all the time without experiencing other feelings).

Sometimes imbalances fix themselves naturally, like when you shift your weight to steady yourself. Other times they need deliberate correction, like redistributing supplies so each team has the same materials. Recognizing an imbalance is the first step toward restoring fairness or proper proportion.