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

Communities across Southern California have been grappling with a proliferation of young riders on electric bikes and motorcycles on city streets, engaging in dangerous maneuvers and, sometimes, engaging police in chases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Widespread technological access and the proliferation of artificial intelligence have leveled the playing field in a manner previously unseen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

In the UK, the government has previously investigated Amazon's method of listing goods for sale, and the proliferation of fake reviews of products.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

In graduate school he studied with scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project, and he worried that supporting nuclear energy could lead to the proliferation of weapons.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

It signaled the commencement of their almost delirious proliferation.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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

It is generally, though not always, developed from the endoderm, either as hollow outgrowths containing prolongations of the enteric cavity, which become the coelom, or as solid proliferations.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various