overreliance
noun
over·re·li·ance
ˌō-vər-ri-ˈlī-ən(t)s 
: 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
Barack ObamaI shy away from prescribing sleeping pills … to avoid overreliance on them.—Andrew Weil
Andrew WeilExamples of overreliance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The point is that certain kinds of knowledge have long been passed down tacitly from generation to generation, but our culture, with its wild overreliance on the explicit and the useful, will soon produce people on whom such knowledge will be lost.
—Kristen Roupenian, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed systemic FAA failures and found the crash was preventable, with concerns including overreliance on visual separation and longstanding risks in the airspace around Reagan National.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
In the past, ranching in the West has caught flak for its heavy footprint on the environment and overreliance on government subsidies.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.
—Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
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Kristen Roupenian, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed systemic FAA failures and found the crash was preventable, with concerns including overreliance on visual separation and longstanding risks in the airspace around Reagan National.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
In the past, ranching in the West has caught flak for its heavy footprint on the environment and overreliance on government subsidies.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.
—Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overreliance
Cite this Entry
“Overreliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overreliance. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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