environmentalism

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ism in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ˌli-zəm 

-ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-

1

: a theory that views environment rather than heredity as the important factor in the development and especially the cultural and intellectual development of an individual or group

2

: advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment

especially : the movement to control pollution

Examples of environmentalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By 2030, the authors want the idea of plurality to be as widely recognized in the tech world as AI and blockchain, and as prominent in political discourse as environmentalism. —Will Henshall, TIME, 20 May 2024

People like me believe in medicines that are addictive drugs, in food that is poison, in environmentalism that is ecocide, in education that is ignorance, in money that is debt, in objective science that is not objective. —Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing environmentalism

• anti-environmentalism

Kids Definition

environmentalism

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ism -ˌvī-rən-ˈment-ᵊl-ˌi-zəm 

-ˌvī(-ə)rn-

: the act or process of preserving, restoring, or improving the natural environment

Medical Definition

environmentalism

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ism -ˌvī-rən-ˈment-ᵊl-ˌiz-əm, -ˌvī(-ə)rn- 

: a theory that views environment rather than heredity as the important factor in the development and especially the cultural and intellectual development of an individual or group