overreliance
Trusting too much
Overreliance is excessive dependence on something, to the point where it becomes a weakness or liability.
The word implies that some reliance would be appropriate, but too much creates vulnerability: Our overreliance on a single supplier left us exposed when they went bankrupt.
Often used in criticism of systems, strategies, or habits that lack backup options.
Mobility aid for injured
- addictionCompulsive substance reliance
- habituationDiminished reaction over time
- clingingGripping without release
- needinessExcessive emotional reliance
helplessness · attachment · prop · support · subservience · fixation · compulsion · enslavement
State of being unprotected
- fragilityEase of breaking
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
precariousness · brittleness · liability · defenselessness · concentration · imbalance · inflexibility · rigidity
Source of potential harm
- dangerExposure to harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- jeopardyRisk of harm
- threatIndication of potential harm
uncertainty · gamble · pitfall · recklessness · complacency · negligence · overconfidence · misjudgment
Excessive stretching force
- overloadBurden beyond capacity
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- overextensionExceeding sustainable capacity
- overuseExcessive employment of something
overwork · exhaustion · drain · taxation · depletion · burnout · saturation · overcommitment
crutch
Mobility aid for injured
- addictionCompulsive substance reliance
- habituationDiminished reaction over time
- clingingGripping without release
neediness · helplessness · attachment · prop · support · subservience · fixation · compulsion · enslavement · hooked
exposure
State of being unprotected
- fragilityEase of breaking
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
instability · precariousness · brittleness · liability · defenselessness · concentration · imbalance · inflexibility · rigidity · shortsightedness
hazard
Source of potential harm
threat · uncertainty · gamble · pitfall · recklessness · complacency · negligence · overconfidence · misjudgment · naivety
strain
Excessive stretching force
- overloadBurden beyond capacity
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- overextensionExceeding sustainable capacity
overuse · overwork · exhaustion · drain · taxation · depletion · burnout · saturation · overcommitment · overstretching
- unhealthy attachmentclinginess, enmeshment, clingy, neediness, smothering
- AI safetymisalignment, existential risk, superintelligence, stop button, power seeking
overrelianceself-sufficiency
Independence from outside aid
independence · self-reliance · autonomy · autarky · self-support
overreliancediversification
Expanding into varied areas
moderation · distrust · wariness · underuse · neglect