proliferation

American  

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

noun

proliferations plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• proliferations
  plural

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

See Examples For:

proliferation proliferations

Leveraged ETFs and their siblings, inverse funds, are risky, and their frenzied proliferation that kicked into overdrive 2025 may be overshadowing their big jump in closures this year.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

This was a fertile environment for the proliferation of digital rapid-response networks at a time when they were most needed.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The drug works in part by reducing activity in the mTOR pathway, a biological signaling system that regulates cell growth and proliferation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

US Energy Secretary Wright dismissed concerns about proliferation, insisting the deal was in Washington's economic and strategic interest.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

As any modern parent knows, the baby-naming industry is booming, as evidenced by a proliferation of books, websites, and baby-name consultants.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

One of the many recent proliferations of an invasive species concerns the growth of Asian carp populations.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Though cyanobacteria is a naturally occurring microorganism, sometimes conditions conspire to create huge proliferations called blooms that can create problems that range from obnoxious to toxic.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 19, 2020

Gen. Jeff Sessions to adopt website regulations, saying the absence of such regulations “only fuels the proliferations of these suits.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2018

There’s a tendency in prequels and sequels and the like to make things tidy, which Ryman’s proliferations of Dorothys and Scarecrows is not.

From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2014

All the nerve-centres, cerebral, visceral, pedal and optic, are formed as proliferations of the ectoderm.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various