overcapacity

noun

over·​ca·​pac·​i·​ty ˌō-vər-kə-ˈpa-sə-tē 

-ˈpa-stē

: excessive capacity for production or services in relation to demand

Examples of overcapacity in a Sentence

The airlines are lowering their prices because of an overcapacity of seats.

Recent Examples on the Web

Picture an army of worthy USTR officials solemnly poring over Bangladesh’s structural overcapacity in manufacturing with all the seriousness of purpose that the exercise demands. —Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026

The sweeping breadth of the trade probes also risks alienating partners and squandering the goodwill needed to forge a collective response to address Chinese industrial overcapacity, according to experts. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026

Meanwhile, China’s economy has in recent years grappled with a prolonged property crisis, weak domestic demand, and industrial overcapacity that resulted in deflationary pressures. —John Liu, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026

After the recent rescue, the San Jacinto Valley campus reached 300% overcapacity. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overcapacity

• audacity
• capacity
• loquacity
• mendacity
• opacity
• pugnacity
• rapacity
• sagacity
• tenacity
• veracity
• vivacity
• voracity