Proliferation

noun (uncountable, occasionally countable)

/prəˌlɪf.əˈreɪ.ʃən/

A rapid increase in the number or amount of something; in formal usage, the swift spread or multiplication of something (e.g. weapons, institutions, ideas), often with a connotation of uncontrolled or excessive growth.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The unchecked proliferation of small arms across the Sahel has hollowed out state authority, transforming localised grievances into transnational insurgencies that no single government can contain.

Synonyms

multiplicationspreadescalationmushroomingexpansionburgeoning

Antonyms

declinereductioncurtailmentsuppression

🌱 Word Family

proliferate (v), proliferating (v pres.p), proliferative (adj), proliferous (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin proles = offspring (pro- = forth + al- = to nourish); ferre = to bear; via French prolifération

📜 Etymology

From French prolifération, from prolifère "producing offspring," from Latin proles "offspring" (from pro- "forth" + root al- "to grow, nourish") + ferre "to bear, carry." Originally a botanical/biological term; the general sense "increase in number" dates to 1920, with the nuclear-weapons sense emerging by 1960.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think "PRO-LIFE-eration" — proles (Latin for "offspring") bearing forth ever more life: things multiplying and spreading rapidly, like cells dividing or weapons spreading uncontrollably.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2018 — Nuclear Technology
Prelims 2018 — International Organisations

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Proliferation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🤝 International Relations 📖 Seen in: India's Foreign Policy — Evolution, Do...

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