PROLIFERATED Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

proliferated

verb

past tense of proliferate

as in increased

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of proliferated While mainstream media outlets avoided airing the clip of Kirk's assassination, the raw footage proliferated on X and Reddit, entering the flow of online discourse and memes that day. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 Worries about big-brother government and non-white foreigners proliferated. — Michael E. Neagle, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026 South Dakota has small data centers but none of the large centers, known as hyper-scale, that have proliferated elsewhere. — Des Moines Register, States Newsroom, 3 Sep. 2026 In that conventional view, the International Style (a term MoMA introduced in 1932) proliferated as an instrument of the Cold War, adjusting to local preferences but always faithful to its Franco-German origins. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026 Indeed, fragrance launches have proliferated since the category’s unprecedented post-COVID-19 boom, as have channels. — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 Since the outbreak of the Iran war, in late February, the opportunities for new foreign investment in Syria have proliferated. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 As modern prisons proliferated across the nation, major cities exported prisoners to state prisons in less populated areas. — Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026 The term Pretendian hunter has proliferated online in reference to groups like TAAF. — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferated

Verb

The eastward shift increased the chances of hurricane-force wind gusts on Niihau and possibly Kauai, especially at higher elevations, the hurricane center warned.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
The restrictions have increased pressure on Chinese companies to develop domestic alternatives across the semiconductor supply chain.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of increased

Verb

Hundreds joined the insurgents that day, and their numbers soon swelled into the thousands.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
In a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized Oracle for a contract that has now swelled to $27 billion.

— Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of swelled

Verb

The rocket’s second stage ignited a single Aquila engine and accelerated to orbital velocity—some 5 miles per second—about seven minutes into the flight.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
The July hack by rogue OpenAI autonomous agents on open-source developer platform Hugging Face accelerated the shift and proved that the era of advanced AI hacks had arrived.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of accelerated

Verb

More Great Living Stories From Vogue The Vogue Runway app has expanded!

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2026
The survey found that voters favored a generic Democratic candidate for Congress over a Republican 46% to 40%, but the Democratic advantage expanded to 11 points among those who definitely plan to vote.

— Zac Anderson, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of expanded

Verb

Focused on creating an immersive experience that starts upon arrival, Diaz enlisted a scent designer to create Disco Lace, a signature scent for Bar Leone that is a blend of lavender, rose and enoki.

— Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Median pay for chief technology officers rose $809,587 from 2021 to 2025 while median pay for CEOs—typically the C-suite leader most likely to reap massive pay rewards—only rose $698,399.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of rose

Verb

Jurors then multiplied that number by the total number of residential and commercial subscribers.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Kalshi estimates that Spanish-language use of the app has multiplied by five since the beginning of 2026 and Spanish-speaking users now make up 12% of the platform.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of multiplied

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“Proliferated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferated. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of proliferated

verb

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