overreliance

noun

over·​re·​li·​ance ˌō-vər-ri-ˈlī-ən(t)s 

: the act or state of relying on something or someone too much : excessive reliance

One of my top priorities next year is to have an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our overreliance on fossil fuels.

—Barack Obama

I shy away from prescribing sleeping pills … to avoid overreliance on them.

—Andrew Weil

Examples of overreliance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Operating within a patchwork of policies without coordinated support, teachers and students nationwide are left to navigate the AI gray area on their own, increasing the risk of misuse, overreliance, and inequitable access to technology. —Sophia Romee, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

So India looked for other partners, including in the developing world, and redoubled its efforts to build a nuclear program, which could provide an independent deterrent and help hedge against overreliance on the Soviet Union. —Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Looking back at this turbulent year, rife with the usual industry concerns over the viability of the theatrical experience, young people’s slipping attention spans, and Hollywood’s overreliance on franchises, unearths a diverse crop of gems. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025

My worry is that overreliance on AI by those learning the law might stunt their development as lawyers. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overreliance

• appliance
• compliance
• defiance
• reliance
• geoscience
• neuroscience
• noncompliance
• pseudoscience
• science