English Lexicon

Proliferation

/prəˌlɪf.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #3450 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The rapid increase in the number or amount of something.

    "The proliferation of technology has transformed communication."
  2. 2

    The spread of nuclear weapons and technology.

    "International treaties aim to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'proles' (offspring) combined with 'facere' (to make), entering English in the 17th century through medical and biological contexts. The term evolved from describing biological cell division and the rapid growth of offspring to signify any rapid, extensive increase or multiplication of entities, such as ideas, weapons, or data.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Proliferation"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Proliferation"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Proliferation" Synonym Map