Overgrowth

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A usually abundant, luxuriant growth over or on something else. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    a profusion of growth on or over something else wordnet
  3. 3
    A usually abundant, luxuriant growth over or on something else.; A tangle of growth occurring at the top of trees involving vines and branches, common in jungles. countable, uncountable

    "In desolate places where dank moisture breeds / The pipy Hemlock to strange overgrowth"

  4. 4
    excessive size; usually caused by excessive secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland wordnet
  5. 5
    An excessive growth or increase in numbers, as in a population of weeds or microbes. countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    Excessive size; usually caused by over-production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
giantismgigantismgigantismhypertrophyabandonboundlessness

Example

More examples

"The primary culprits in eutrophication appear to be excess nitrogen and phosphorus—from sources including fertilizer runoff and septic system effluent to atmospheric fallout from burning fossil fuels—which enter waterbodies and fuel the overgrowth of algae, which, in turn, reduces water quality and degrades estuarine and coastal ecosystems."

Etymology

From over- + growth.

Related phrases

growth hormonepituitary gland

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.