overcrowded
Bursting at seams
Overcrowded describes a space with too many people or things in it for comfort, safety, or function.
An overcrowded train has no room to move; overcrowded prisons strain resources and breed unrest.
The word implies not just fullness but excess—more than a space was designed to hold: The lifeboat was dangerously overcrowded.
Uncomfortably lacking space
- confinedKept within bounds
- tightFirmly stretched or fitting
- squeezedPressed firmly together
- restrictedLimited in scope
compact · narrow · claustrophobic · stuffed · shoehorned · wedged · compressed · sardines
Excessively densely inhabited
- teemingAbundantly full of
- denseClosely packed together
- swarmMass of moving insects
- massesBulk or populace
multitude · throng · tenement · slums · ghetto · sprawl · strain · migration
Exceeding capacity, spilling out
- saturatedThoroughly soaked through
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- burstingBreaking from internal pressure
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
overfull · swamped · glutted · capacity · strained · overburdened · maxed-out · spillover
Defeated by sheer volume
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- pressureForce upon contact
- tensionStretched or strained state
- strainExcessive stretching force
burnout · fatigue · frustration · agitation · claustrophobia · panic · discomfort · irritability
Large venue for spectators
- concertLive musical performance
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- subwayUnderground transit passage
- trainRail vehicle or instruct
bus · elevator · classroom · prison · hospital · shelter · marketplace · bazaar
Complete mutual obstruction
- jamCooked fruit spread
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
- snarl-upTangled traffic situation
- tailbackCongested vehicle queue
logjam · standstill · backup · chokepoint · rush-hour · pileup · clogged · blocked
cramped
Uncomfortably lacking space
restricted · compact · narrow · claustrophobic · stuffed · shoehorned · wedged · compressed · sardines · standing-room-only
overpopulated
Excessively densely inhabited
masses · multitude · throng · tenement · slums · ghetto · sprawl · strain · migration · urbanization
overflowing
Exceeding capacity, spilling out
- saturatedThoroughly soaked through
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- burstingBreaking from internal pressure
overloaded · overfull · swamped · glutted · capacity · strained · overburdened · maxed-out · spillover
overwhelmed
Defeated by sheer volume
strain · burnout · fatigue · frustration · agitation · claustrophobia · panic · discomfort · irritability · restlessness
stadium
Large venue for spectators
- concertLive musical performance
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- subwayUnderground transit passage
train · bus · elevator · classroom · prison · hospital · shelter · marketplace · bazaar · nightclub
gridlock
Complete mutual obstruction
- jamCooked fruit spread
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
- snarl-upTangled traffic situation
tailback · logjam · standstill · backup · chokepoint · rush-hour · pileup · clogged · blocked · stalled
- Overloadedstuffed, jammed, full, saturated, glutted
- school typespublic, private, charter, magnet, boarding
- urbanizationcity, urban growth, metropolis, urban sprawl, suburbanization
- housing statushomeowner, renter, tenant, landlord, owned
- prison overcrowdingExcess inmates in facilities