neo-malthusian

neo-malthusian — adjective

1. supporting the idea that society should keep birth numbers down, often by encour

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

supporting the idea that society should keep birth numbers down, often by encouraging contraception.

Example

Diego joined a neo-Malthusian group that gave free birth-control advice.

neo-Malthusian + group promoting contraception

The mayor rejected a neo-Malthusian plan to limit large families.

neo-Malthusian + policy aimed at smaller families

Common collocations
  • neo-Malthusian movement
  • neo-Malthusian policy
  • neo-Malthusian campaign
Synonyms
  • antinatalist

    broader and often more philosophical, not always tied to public policy

  • Malthusian

    older and wider term; it does not always point so directly to contraception

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

neo-Malthusian policy

neo-Malthusian movement

be neo-Malthusian

Usage Note

Usually describes policies, campaigns, or arguments rather than ordinary personal choices. It often appears when someone presents birth control as a way to ease poverty, hunger, or pressure on resources.

Common Mistakes

The mayor's traffic plan was neo-Malthusian.
The mayor's population plan was neo-Malthusian.
The word is about limiting births or population growth, not any strict public policy.

Word family

  • neo-Malthusianism
    nounC2
  • Malthusian
    adjectiveC2
  • Malthusianism
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Neo-Malthusian' usually describes a policy, campaign, or argument that supports limiting population growth, especially through contraception. 'Malthusian' is wider: it can refer to Thomas Malthus's general ideas about population and resources, even when birth control is not the main focus. 'Antinatalist' is broader and often philosophical, showing moral opposition to having children at all. 'Pronatalist' points in the opposite direction, supporting higher birth rates. Use 'neo-Malthusian' when the discussion is specifically about reducing births to ease social or economic pressure. A campaign for free contraception may be neo-Malthusian, while a speech urging bigger families is pronatalist.

neo-Malthusian ↗Malthusian ↗antinatalistpronatalist

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be neo-Malthusian

Etymology

GreekEnglish

This word combines the prefix 'neo-', meaning 'new', with 'Malthusian', from the name of Thomas Malthus, the English thinker who argued that population can grow faster than food supplies. The newer term came to refer especially to support for limiting births through contraception.