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

"These cells can hide from chemotherapy and then remain in this dormant quiescent state in the tumor, and then later reactivate to drive proliferation."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

This is converging with concerns about youth mental health, the outsourcing of thinking to artificial intelligence, and the proliferation of social media and smartphones impacting attention spans and self-esteem.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Other factors - like the proliferation of ultra-processed foods - also matter.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Californians are concerned that the proliferation of data centers will increase their electricity bills and strain water supplies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

It signaled the commencement of their almost delirious proliferation.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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

The villages of Beckington, which used to be three miles to the west, and Blamely four miles to the east of Bromstead, were experiencing similar distensions and proliferations, and grew out to meet us.

From The New Machiavelli by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells