Malthusian
of or relating to the theories of T. R. Malthus, which state that population tends to increase faster, at a geometrical ratio, than the means of subsistence, which increases at an arithmetical ratio, and that this will result in an inadequate supply of the goods supporting life unless war, famine, or disease reduces the population or the increase of population is checked.
a follower of Malthus.
Origin of Malthusian
1Other words from Malthusian
- Mal·thu·sian·ism, noun
- an·ti-Mal·thu·si·an, adjective, noun
- an·ti-Mal·thu·si·an·ism, noun
- non-Mal·thu·si·an, adjective, noun
- pro-Mal·thu·si·an, adjective, noun
- pro-Mal·thu·si·an·ism, noun
Words Nearby Malthusian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Malthusian in a sentence
Orwellian, Malthusian, barbarous, depraved…I think you get me.
Conservatives Find Typo in Obamacare, Try to Kill People With It | Michael Tomasky | July 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd despite all the Malthusian nonsense, we've still got plenty of oil and natural gas, reports the National Journal's Amy Harder.
In the thousands of years before the Industrial Revolution, civilization was stuck in the Malthusian Trap.
Workers responded by laboring harder and longer and bearing more children in a desperate attempt to outrun their Malthusian trap.
In my fantasy I am not simply wasting my final nights with fruitless, Malthusian ramblings.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks | Max Brooks | January 14, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is difficult to over-estimate the harm that has been done to public policy by this same Malthusian theory.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockIt was this experience which gave shape to his Malthusian theories.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3) | Leslie StephenOne of the professor's formulas is the so-called "Malthusian law," that population presses always upon the limits of subsistence.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton SinclairThe Malthusian chorus of political economists suggests the notion that a nation may be over-physical.
The Education of American Girls | Anna Callender BrackettPrecisely this seemed to be the case with the Malthusian theory.
On the Significance of Science and Art | Count Lyof N. Tolstoi
British Dictionary definitions for Malthusian
/ (mælˈθjuːzɪən) /
of or relating to the theory of Malthus stating that increases in population tend to exceed increases in the means of subsistence and that therefore sexual restraint should be exercised
a supporter of this theory
Derived forms of Malthusian
- Malthusianism, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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