anthropogenic

adjective

an·​thro·​po·​gen·​ic ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈje-nik How to pronounce anthropogenic (audio)
: of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature
anthropogenic pollutants
anthropogenically adverb

Examples of anthropogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The inescapable truth is that anthropogenic climate change is real, and denialism or minimalization condemn us to dangerous inertia when action is urgently needed. David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023 Underlying it all: Global warming All of this comes on top of anthropogenic, or human-caused, global warming. Michael Wysession, Fortune, 27 July 2023 Each additional degree of global warming results in an additional 95 home runs per baseball season, and more than 500 home runs since 2010 can be attributed to anthropogenic warming, the researchers report today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Bychristian Elliott, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023 Although drought contributed to the severity of the fires, anthropogenic climate change is not to blame for Maui's drought conditions either. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2023 The high temperatures are a combination of anthropogenic climate change as well as the El Niño weather phenomenon. Devika Rao, The Week, 9 Aug. 2023 What can these anthropogenic clouds tell us about our future? Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Aug. 2023 The transportation sector, including personal cars and trucks as well as commercial vehicles, airplanes, and trains, is one of the most significant contributors to anthropogenic U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 6 Aug. 2023 Humans have quickly and dramatically warmed the planet since preindustrial times, and anthropogenic CO2 will stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years, unless people invent a way to remove it at large scale. Matt Simon, WIRED, 20 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anthropogenic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

anthropo- + -genic

First Known Use

circa 1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anthropogenic was circa 1883

Dictionary Entries Near anthropogenic

Cite this Entry

“Anthropogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthropogenic. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Medical Definition

anthropogenic

adjective
an·​thro·​po·​gen·​ic -pə-ˈjen-ik How to pronounce anthropogenic (audio)
: of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature
anthropogenic sources of pollution

More from Merriam-Webster on anthropogenic

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