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proliferation

noun

1
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
  1. increase
  2. accumulation
  3. addition
  4. accumulating
  5. boost
  6. gain
  7. rise
Noun
  • Stock Chart IconStock chart icon The hike brought the policy rate to its highest level since 1995, and came just three months after its previous increase.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Syria will provide subsidized diesel fuel for heating and agriculture after sharp price increases sparked widespread protests this week.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of increase
Noun
  • The creator-dynamics research explicitly models this relationship between platform exposure and follower accumulation, which gives platforms an unusual position in influencer marketing.
    — Sergi Cerrato, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The power of these shows didn’t come from constant intensity but from duration, repetition, and consequences that compounded across seasons, allowing meaning to emerge gradually through accumulation.
    — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of accumulation
Noun
  • The mews, at the back of the three-acre property, is a modernist addition with 21 guestrooms, some with private terrace gardens that have just been planted.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • His Murphy is a complete 180 from that wild-eyed take on the abolitionist John Brown, not to mention a fine addition to the canon of good men who find themselves in bad company and have to navigate, pivot, and play along accordingly.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of addition
Noun
  • While snow totals remain uncertain, this storm is forecast to bring colder air and has a better chance of bringing more widespread and meaningful accumulating snow, particularly in the mountains and higher elevations.
    — Alex Lehnert, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of accumulating
Noun
  • Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the US economy, has trended lower in recent months as the boost from bigger tax returns faded and higher energy costs took a bite out of people’s paychecks.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Wadewitz added that the freight carrier may get an additional boost from its planned transcontinental merger.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 16 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
  • Welcome To The Future of Commerce The rise of AI shopping assistants is a celebration of better matchmaking between brands and consumers.
    — Narendra Lakshmana Gowda, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • This particular Cipriani, with its neo-Renaissance-style ceilings and grand, opulent interior, was the venue for Alexander Wang’s fall 2013 show, where a then-on-the-rise A$AP Rocky sat front-row.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rise

Browse Nearby Words

proliferating
proliferation
proliferations
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Cite this Entry

“Proliferation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferation. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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