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

This overcapacity results from the lacklustre production outlook, expected to be flat between 2023 and 2029, still 20% below the 2017, pre-Covid peak. —Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The overcapacity of today may be the foundation of tomorrow’s breakthroughs. —Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Any new import levies are on a collision course with stubbornly flat industrial production — a crucial driver of domestic and international volume from sectors that include mining, manufacturing, chemicals and electricity — and lingering overcapacity from the COVID shipping boom, experts said. —Lisa Baertlein, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

Many industries suffer from severe overcapacity and falling prices. —Meaghan Tobin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

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