proliferation

American  

[pruh-lif-uh-ray-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

The actions followed officials’ comments earlier this year expressing concern about the proliferation of tax-motivated investing techniques.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

This corner of the chip market has seen momentum in recent months, driven in part by the proliferation of AI agents, or services that can act autonomously on behalf of users.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Otherwise, a repair response could turn into uncontrolled proliferation.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Residents have long complained about a proliferation of high-powered cars racing down the city’s major thoroughfares, peeling out and doing doughnuts, and drivers revving their engines into the early-morning hours.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

At first Aureliano Segundo did not notice the alarming proportions of the proliferation.

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

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

One of the many recent proliferations of an invasive species concerns the Asian carp in the United States.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 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

Changes somewhat analogous to those found in the human aorta as the result of intimal proliferations, are produced in animals by the toxins of the typhoid bacillus and the Streptococcus pyogenes.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Louis Marshall Warfield