Meanings
plural Malthusianisms
- countableuncountableeconomicsThe viewpoint that the population will always grow faster than the food supply that it needs to survive and prosper.
“[…] The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.” [citing Dune] Gloomy Malthusianism was much in vogue in the 1960s and 70s.
2015 July 3, Hari Kunzru, “Dune, 50 years on: how a science fiction novel changed the world”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMalthus' theory that population increase would outpace increases in the means of subsistence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- EnglishMalthus
- EnglishMalthusian
- EnglishMalthusianism
From Malthusian + -ism.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَالْتُوسِيَة
- مَالْتُوسِيَة (māltūsiya)the viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
Chinese Mandarin 馬爾薩斯主義 /马尔萨斯主义
- 馬爾薩斯主義 /马尔萨斯主义 (Mǎ'ěrsàsī Zhǔyì)the viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
French malthusianisme
- malthusianismethe viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
Italian malthusianesimo
- malthusianesimothe viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
Portuguese malthusianismo
- malthusianismothe viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
Slovak maltuzianizmus
- maltuzianizmusthe viewpoint that the population grows faster than the food supply
Cite this entry
Malthusianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malthusianism
“Malthusianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malthusianism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Malthusianism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malthusianism.
Source: Malthusianism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.