PROLIFERATION Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

proliferation

noun

as in increase

something added (as by growth) a large proliferation in the number of electrical appliances was placing enormous demands upon the region's power supply

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in accumulation

the act or process of becoming greater in number the proliferation of mistakes as both actors and crew became more and more tired

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 proliferation Another source of potential harm is the proliferation of data centers. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026 The proliferation of earlier kickoffs nationwide due to TV media rights deals adds a complex layer to this early-season situation. — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Francisco worried about the proliferation of high-caliber guns, which few locals knew how to handle safely. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Pinney argues that the female figures in Ravi Varma’s work helped drive its proliferation. — Noor Anand Chawla, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2026 The proliferation of crime pictures that arrived in cinemas over the following decade owes a debt to Huston’s classic, whose meticulous planning, execution, and aftermath would become hallmarks of the genre. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 Establishment Labs is likely to get a big boost as the proliferation of GLP-1s seems to have fueled demand for breast augmentation procedures, according to TD Securities. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 Building trust has never been an easy thing to do, but with the proliferation of AI, trust has been even harder to build. — Esther K. Choy, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Grande became the face of an ongoing conversation around health, and the cultural pendulum swing away from body positivity to the glorification of thinness, ignited by the proliferation of weight-loss drugs. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferation

Noun

The penalty tax is a scale that progressively increases based on how many millions a team is over the luxury-tax threshold.

— Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, health and environmental factors, the researchers found that any increase in light exposure above 3 lux during nighttime sleep was associated with measurable, subtle cardiac damage.

— Barbara Mantel, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of increase

Noun

Thanks to an unruly accumulation of furniture, however, the apartment initially felt cramped.

— Sophia Herring, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2026
Plaque accumulation within artery walls—a process called atherosclerosis—is what increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular issues.

— Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of accumulation

Noun

But Dejan Kulusevski is back in full training in a boost to head coach Roberto De Zerbi, while the club boosted their forward options with the signings of Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City during the window.

— Elias Burke, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The average survey respondent projects a significant boost in productivity and economic growth but also a substantial disruption to workers in AI-sensitive fields.

— Scott Horsley, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of boost

Noun

Those gains, of course, allowed the club to partially circumnavigate La Liga’s spending controls so, even as the club lops off chunks of value from the asset each year, the Byzantine structure of it all has certainly served a purpose.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Islamophobia helped spur the rise of populist right-wing parties in Europe, alongside the migration crisis caused by Syria’s civil war and ISIS’s territorial gains in Syria and Iraq.

— Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of gain

Noun

Illustration lost critical standing with the rise of abstraction, according to Moffatt and author Leo Braudy, professor emeritus of English and art history at USC.

— Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The rise of the romance genre began deep in the pandemic, when meeting new people, let alone touching them, was pure fantasy.

— Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of rise

Browse Nearby Words

proliferating

proliferation

proliferations

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Proliferation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferation. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of proliferation

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shofar

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes