overreliance

noun

over·​re·​li·​ance ˌō-vər-ri-ˈlī-ən(t)s How to pronounce overreliance (audio)
: 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 The risk lies in overreliance on automation without proper checks. Mehdi Daoudi, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Part of this comes down to the need to classify land at scale, and an overreliance on methods like remote sensing, which discounts local, on-the-ground expertise and ecological understanding of a landscape. Popular Science, 15 Feb. 2024 States and the federal government need to substantially increase investments in community risk reduction, home fortification and loss mitigation, and develop strategies to reduce insurers’ overreliance on unregulated, global reinsurance. USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 The Ohio Supreme Court in 1997 found unconstitutional the overreliance of school districts on property taxes. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2024 The overreliance on credit cards and the accompanying increase in consumer debt are consequences of our fiat money system. Ron Paul, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2024 But without moderation, an overreliance on the feel-good chemical hit could be the factor that leads to an increase in water intake and overhydration. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 In fields like customer service and health care, industry experts warn that overreliance on ChatGPT could mean a loss of human connection and empathy that some fields still need to foster. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2024 But with new opportunities comes a new danger: overreliance on constant-stare technology could create bad habits. David Zikusoka, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overreliance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overreliance was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near overreliance

Cite this Entry

“Overreliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overreliance. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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