overabundance

noun

over·​abun·​dance ˌō-vər-ə-ˈbən-dən(t)s 

plural overabundances

: a large surplus : excess

an overabundance of options

Between the women's movement and the first large wave of baby boomers, the career track was suddenly clogged with an overabundance of qualified people.

—Phillip Moffitt

overabundant

ˌō-vər-ə-ˈbən-dənt 

adjective

Overabundant use of livestock and chicken feed laced with antibiotics is a primary force behind the evolution of drug-resistant strains that then find their way into people.

—Wayne Biddle

Overabundant elk ate trees down to their nubs, leaving beavers with no lumber for their dams, which, in turn, changed the flow of rivers.

—Sara Reardon

overabundantly adverb

The meals … were mainly taken at the hotel and were included in the trip package. We were fed overabundantly three times a day.

—R. V. Denenberg

… Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, an overabundantly plotted melodrama set in 15th-century Paris.

—Tom Gliatto

Synonyms of overabundance

• surplus
• excess
• abundance

Examples of overabundance in a Sentence

an overabundance of desserts at a potluck dinner

Recent Examples on the Web

The scientists then studied a single red giant star in the halo of the Milky Way with an odd chemical composition, including an overabundance of heavy elements like silver and uranium. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Ray’s problem is not a dearth of skill, but an overabundance of conscience. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

If soap and water can’t get a spot to budge, Seventh Generation Multi-Surface Wipes or Clorox Free & Clear Cleaning Wipes clean sticky residue without an overabundance of cleaning chemicals. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026

This is also often the case for gardens, which can suffer from an overabundance of nutrients. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overabundance

• superabundance
• abundance