adj.
Pronunciation: mal- ' thü-zh ə n, mo ̇ l-, - ' thyü-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Thomas R. Malthus
Date: 1821
: of or relating to Malthus or to his theory that population tends to increase at a faster rate than its means of subsistence and that unless it is checked by moral restraint or disaster (as disease, famine, or war) widespread poverty and degradation inevitably result
– Malthusian noun
– Mal · thu · sian · ism \ -zh ə - ˌ ni-z ə m \ noun