Malthusian

American  

[mal-thoo-zhuhn, -zee-uhn] / mælˈθu ʒən, -zi ən /

adjective

1. 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.

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noun

1. a follower of Malthus.

Malthusian British  

/ mælˈθjuːzɪən /

adjective

1. 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

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noun

1. a supporter of this theory

Other Word Forms

• Malthusianism noun
• anti-Malthusian adjective
• anti-Malthusianism noun
• non-Malthusian adjective
• pro-Malthusian adjective
• pro-Malthusianism noun

Etymology

Origin of Malthusian

First recorded in 1805–15; Malthus + -ian

Example Sentences

The book’s opening lines capture his zero-sum Malthusian thinking: “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

But as a wave of economic liberalization swept through India in the late 1980s, the Malthusian nightmare never materialized.

From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2023

At the World Economic Forum, organizers tried their best to change the gloomy Malthusian narrative about aging.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2023

In 1877, the Malthusian League, which advocated the use of contraception, was founded in Great Britain.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

“I wonder if you’d mind giving me my Malthusian belt.”

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley