overconsumption

noun

over·​con·​sump·​tion ˌō-vər-kən-ˈsəm(p)-shən 

: excessive consumption or use of something

the overconsumption of fossil fuels

overconsumption of alcohol

The flip side of deficient saving, of course, is overconsumption. At its peak in 1987, household expenditure as a percentage of national income was 74%, almost four percentage points above the highest levels reached during the previous two decades.

—Robert S. Gay

Examples of overconsumption in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With fast fashion the second-most polluting industry in the world, the trade show is in response to the rampant overconsumption, growing awareness among the youth looking to be better consumers and the secondhand market changing the way consumption can become investments. —Fairchild Studio, WWD, 28 Oct. 2024

Researchers have discovered the mechanism linking the overconsumption of red meat with colorectal cancer, as well as identifying a means of interfering with the mechanism as a new treatment strategy for this kind of cancer. —New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2024

One probable cause of death was the apparent overconsumption of alcohol. —Marina Watts, People.com, 7 Oct. 2024

Water retention can be caused by overconsumption of salt, certain medications, and certain health conditions, such as kidney disease and cancer. —Laura Schober, Health, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above