Malthusian

adjective Mal·thu·sian \ mal-ˈthü-zhən , mȯl- , -ˈthyü- \

Definition of Malthusian

: of or relating to Malthus or to his theory that population tends to increase at a faster rate than its means of subsistence and that unless it is checked by moral restraint or disaster (such as disease, famine, or war) widespread poverty and degradation inevitably result

Malthusian worries are resurgent and people fear the consequences for an overcrowded planet
—Economist

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Malthusian

noun

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Malthusianism

play \-zhə-ˌni-zəm\ noun

Origin and Etymology of malthusian

Thomas R. Malthus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1805

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Ecology Terms

anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

Medical Dictionary

Malthusian

adjective Mal·thu·sian \ mal-ˈth(y)ü-zhən , mȯl- \

medical Definition of Malthusian

: of or relating to Malthus or to his theory that population tends to increase at a faster rate than its means of subsistence and that unless it is checked by moral restraint or by disease, famine, war, or other disaster widespread poverty and degradation inevitably result

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Malthusian

noun

Biographical Note for malthusian

Malthus play \ˈmȯl-thəs\, Thomas Robert (1766–1834), British economist and demographer. Malthus presented his theory of population in An Essay on the Principle of Population, which was first published in 1798 but later expanded and documented. An economic pessimist, he viewed poverty as unfortunate as well as inevitable. His thinking later had a profound influence upon Charles Darwin.