environmentalist
noun
en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist
in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ləst 
-ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-
plural environmentalists
: an advocate of environmentalism : a person who is focused on the preservation, restoration, and improvement of the natural environment
While dams have been touted in the name of water conservation and clean, renewable energy, environmentalists have long challenged the claim that dams are "green" technology. The deleterious ecological impacts of dams, they insist, have been profound.—
Patrick Joseph
Patrick JosephMeanwhile, environmentalists have responded that climate change and habitat loss due to development should require builders to think even more carefully about their projects.—Emma Cotton et al.
Emma Cotton et al.Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s supported by a broad coalition of industry leaders, environmentalists, chefs, fishermen and scientists—in a time that feels so divided, this is an awesome example of people coming together.
—Amanda Leland, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The United States Forest Service’s management of Hoosier National Forest, which includes plans to log and burn thousands of acres in the Houston South region, has been a particular point of contention among environmentalists.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Encouraged by her dear friend, architect and environmentalist Harry Gessner, Lockhart embraced every opportunity life offered, from singing onstage with Willie Nelson to attending White House press briefings dating back to the Eisenhower administration.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
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Amanda Leland, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The United States Forest Service’s management of Hoosier National Forest, which includes plans to log and burn thousands of acres in the Houston South region, has been a particular point of contention among environmentalists.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Encouraged by her dear friend, architect and environmentalist Harry Gessner, Lockhart embraced every opportunity life offered, from singing onstage with Willie Nelson to attending White House press briefings dating back to the Eisenhower administration.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for environmentalist
Cite this Entry
“Environmentalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environmentalist. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
environmentalist
noun
en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist
-ˌvī-rən-ˈment-ᵊl-əst
-ˌvī(-ə)rn-
: a person concerned about environmental quality and especially with controlling pollution
Medical Definition
environmentalist
noun
en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist
-ᵊl-əst
1
: an advocate of environmentalism
2
: one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to the control of pollution
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