overcrowded

adjective

over·​crowd·​ed ˌō-vər-ˈkrau̇-dəd 

: crowded or filled to excess : having too many people or things

overcrowded streets/cities/classrooms

living in overcrowded conditions

… having an overcrowded space can make it hard for buyers to … visualize their own belongings in the space, said Los Angeles-based designer Francesca Grace.

—Jennifer Tzeses

… some 5 million workers commute for up to three hours on trains so overcrowded that there seem to be as many passengers hanging on to the outside of the carriages as there are inside.

—Ismail Merchant

Examples of overcrowded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But there’s a downside to its popularity with a new study naming the iconic ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center the most overcrowded Christmas attraction in the entire world. —Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2025

The detention facility, which dates to 1853, is overcrowded and in poor condition, holding 311 inmates in space intended for 180, according to the French justice ministry. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025

Despite a slight decline in intake compared to 2024, shelters remain overcrowded, with more dogs entering than leaving. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Jakarta, prone to earthquakes and flooding, is overcrowded, polluted and rapidly sinking. —Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of overcrowd

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overcrowded

• clouded
• crowded
• shrouded
• enshrouded
• unclouded
• uncrowded