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

Prophet Consultants report a 28 percent rise in the use of AI by consumers, but there are significant concerns around trust; 71 percent are concerned about inaccurate information, 63 percent about an overreliance on AI, and 61 percent worried about losing the human connection. —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026

For China, which remains the world’s largest energy importer—with 70% of its crude oil imported—and a central hub in global manufacturing networks, the conflict in the Middle East is a stark reminder of the risks inherent in overreliance on external conditions beyond its control. —Yu Jie, Time, 13 May 2026

While drought preparedness remains essential, an overreliance on the mislabeled and apparently inflated USDM categorizations has led to unnecessary water restrictions and missed opportunities to invest in long-term water resilience. —Edward Ring, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026

There were also fierce debates about everything from the glut of preshow commercials to an overreliance on franchise fare. —Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overreliance

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