proliferation

American  

[pruh-lif-uh-rey-shuhn] / prəˌlɪf əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the growth or production of cells by multiplication of parts.

2. a rapid and often excessive spread or increase.

   nuclear proliferation.

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proliferation British  

/ prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. rapid growth or reproduction of new parts, cells, etc

2. rapid growth or increase in numbers

3. a great number

   done up in a proliferation of fancy frills

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Etymology

Origin of proliferation

First recorded in 1855–60; proliferate + -ion

Explanation

Proliferation is a rapid multiplication of parts or the increase in the number of something. Nuclear proliferation is a rapid increase of nuclear weapons. The proliferation of any living thing will often create an overpopulation problem and cause an environmental imbalance. A proliferation of fuzzy koala bears might seem kind of nice, but these cute little creatures would soon eat up all the eucalyptus, running out of food and causing problems for other species. We almost always use this word to describe stuff we don't want to increase rapidly. The excessive proliferation of mutated cells, for instance, is how cancer grows.

Example Sentences

“As product proliferation occurs in the edgier parts of the market,” says Dave Mazza, chief executive of ETF manager Roundhill Investments, “it’s incumbent on investors to do more homework.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

But proliferation assumes a state or non-state actor trying to acquire weapons covertly.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Even before artificial intelligence dominated the headlines, we saw an emerging trend: the proliferation of silicon across the economy.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The study found pro repair signals involving immune modulation, blood vessel and lymphatic development, fibroblast activation, myocardial salvage, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and neurogenesis in rat models.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

In a few years, without effort, simply by luck, he had accumulated one of the largest fortunes in the swamp thanks to the supernatural proliferation of his animals.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez