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

The new site is meant to alleviate the unfolding crisis that has seen women and young children packed in the overcrowded site with thousands of men. —Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026

Those initial reviews heavily criticized the facility for keeping animals in inadequate and severely overcrowded conditions, relying on outdated medical protocols and suffering from severe veterinary staffing shortages. —Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

Even without investing in new shelving, editing overcrowded bookcases and leaving more negative space between objects can instantly make a room feel lighter. —Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026

Tomato plants that are overcrowded may have slow or stunted growth, decreased fruit production, signs of disease, and yellowing or wilting leaves. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 June 2026

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