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 Experts who study child care, however, caution against an overreliance on businesses filling the void. Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2024 Experts caution against an overreliance on businesses filling the void. Jackie Valley, Fortune, 21 May 2024 Drivers tend to develop an overreliance on these systems even after a short period of use. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024 Critics fear that an overreliance on these types of AI tools could lead to a homogenized and impersonal branding landscape, in which brands fail to resonate with both brand values and consumer interests. Daria Gonzalez, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 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

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 28 May. 2024.

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