overpopulation

noun

over·​pop·​u·​la·​tion ˌō-vər-ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən 

: the condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash

Examples of overpopulation in a Sentence

He is studying the problem of deer overpopulation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tanton kindles a small fire of twigs inside a metal pitcher, while expounding for the camera about ecology and overpopulation. —Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024

But Malthusian predictions of overpopulation have not been borne out: fertility rates gradually declined in many parts of the world even as living standards improved. —Philip Coggan, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2020

In the early nineteen-sixties, fears of overpopulation and urban decay were rampant. —Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

If overpopulation had once prompted the government to push abortions, South Korea was now dealing with the opposite problem. —Gawon Bae, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

overpopulation

noun

over·​pop·​u·​la·​tion -ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən 

: the condition of having too many people living in a certain area

Medical Definition

overpopulation

noun

over·​pop·​u·​la·​tion ˌō-vər-ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən 

: the condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash

overpopulated

-ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt-əd 

adjective