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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

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The population has grown, much as Malthus envisioned, but the means to support that population has grown faster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Malthus published several revisions of his original essay, responding to new observations as well as criticism from contemporary economic giants like David Ricardo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

Neo-Malthusian refers to the concepts of economist Thomas Malthus, who argued against human overpopulation in the 18th century; social Darwinism is a misapplication of biologist Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory to validate conservative social hierarchies.

From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2024

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

Thomas Malthus had been a curate at the Okewood Chapel in Surrey by daytime, but he was a closet economist by night.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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