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Showing results for overpopulation. Search instead for overspeculation.
Synonyms

overpopulation

British  
/ ˌəʊvəˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

  1. the population of an area in too large numbers

"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
overpopulation Scientific  
/ ō′vər-pŏp′yə-lā′shən /

  1. The population of an environment by a particular species in excess of the environment's carrying capacity. The effects of overpopulation can include the depletion of resources, environmental deterioration, and the prevalence of famine and disease.

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.

In our own day, overpopulation pessimism has given way to very real worries that we aren’t replacing ourselves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

"Where we have problems, and where everyone in Europe has problems, is with the wild boar population, because there is overpopulation," said Higuera.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

Gabriel Paun, founder of the environmental NGO Agent Green, which campaigns for wildlife protection and against illegal logging, said the issue was mismanagement, not overpopulation.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2025

In public posts online, he argued that procreation without the consent of the unborn is unethical and unjustifiable in a world struggling with environmental harm, violence and overpopulation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025

The fall has been laid at the door of overpopulation, overuse of natural resources, and drought.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.