Meaning & use
over-concentration
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Meanings
noununcountablebusinessfinance
a situation where too much of something is gathered in one place, group, or activity.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, but can be used with 'a' when describing a particular case: a dangerous over-concentration.
Patterns
- over-concentration of something
- over-concentration on something
- over-concentration in something
The bank was criticized for over-concentration of loans in one region.
Over-concentration on a single export makes the economy vulnerable.
The report warned about over-concentration in the technology sector.
noununcountabledisapproving
the state of focusing too much attention on one thing.
Grammar: Often followed by 'on': over-concentration on details.
Patterns
- over-concentration on something
His over-concentration on small errors made him miss the main point.
The coach blamed over-concentration on defense for the loss.
Common combinations
- over-concentration of power
- The new law aims to prevent over-concentration of power in one office.
- over-concentration on one market
- Over-concentration on one market can hurt a company if that market fails.
- risk of over-concentration
- Investors should be aware of the risk of over-concentration.
Synonyms and how they differ
- concentration
- Neutral; it simply means a large amount in one place, without suggesting it is too much.
- cluster
- A group of things close together; it does not carry the idea of 'too much'.
Opposites
Word family
- over-concentrate verb
- To focus too much on one thing.
- concentration noun
- The act of focusing or gathering together.
- concentrated adjective
- Gathered together in one place or made stronger.
Commonly confused: over-concentration or overconcentration?
over-concentration vs overconcentration
Some writers spell it without a hyphen, but the hyphenated form is clearer and more common in edited text.
Practice
Which preposition best completes the sentence? 'The company's over-concentration ___ a single product worried investors.'
Choose one answer.
We say over-concentration on something when talking about focusing too much on it. 'In' is possible for a place or field, but 'on' is the usual choice with a product or activity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “over-concentration”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.