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Malthus

American  
[mal-thuhs] / ˈmæl θəs /

noun

  1. Thomas Robert, 1766–1834, English economist and clergyman.


Malthus British  
/ ˈmælθəs /

noun

  1. Thomas Robert. 1766–1834, English economist. He propounded his population theory in An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798)

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Still, comparing Ehrlich to Malthus is something of an insult to the latter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Ehrlich was often labeled a neo-Malthusian, a reference to the 18th-century British political economist Thomas Malthus, best known for “An Essay on the Principle of Population.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Pessimists such as Malthus failed to comprehend this process, which has come to be known as the “demographic transition.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 19, 2022

This is unfortunate, because Malthus never seems to have advocated for violence.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2022

An Essay on the Principle of Population was written by the economist Thomas Robert Malthus in 1798.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman