environmentalism

noun

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

, -ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-\

Definition of environmentalism

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

The study examines the environmentally friendly German suburb Vauban, which already puts an emphasis on environmentalism. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Could We Re-Engineer A/Cs To Help Battle Climate Change?," 30 Apr. 2019 William first noted his support of the project at this year's Davos forum, interviewing Attenborough onstage about the new project and the broadcaster's lifelong dedication to environmentalism. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "David Attenborough's Our Planet: What We Know About the New Netflix Show," 25 Mar. 2019 The other strand of early anti-environmentalism ran through the South, where traditional Democratic dominance was in flux. — Christopher Sellers, Vox, "How Republicans came to embrace anti-environmentalism," 6 July 2018 But for how frequent and grand Musk’s claims of environmentalism are, Tesla’s importance to sustaining the planet cannot be predicted. — Aditi Shrikant, Vox, "Elon Musk: “Tesla cannot die”," 2 Nov. 2018 DiFranco has been a longtime outspoken advocate for human rights in every realm -- for women, for the LGBTQ community, for everyone -- with her environmentalism and anti-war stance and more. — Thom Duffy, Billboard, "Ani DiFranco Finds More Support Than Ever for Her Biggest Causes as She Kicks Off Rising Up Tour," 14 June 2018 Exxon’s push to make environmentalism part of its brand has accelerated. — Bradley Olson, WSJ, "Exxon Puts Up $1 Million to Promote Carbon Tax," 9 Oct. 2018 When Gabbard ran for office in 2012, she was endorsed by the Sierra Club thanks to her strong stance for environmentalism. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Who Is Tulsi Gabbard? Everything You Need to Know About the 2020 Presidential Candidate," 12 Jan. 2019 From trade to security to environmentalism, the Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance toward the Chinese government. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Bill Gates's Experimental Nuclear Power Plant Halts Construction in China," 2 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'environmentalism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

19 May 2019

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The first known use of environmentalism was in 1917

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More Definitions for environmentalism

environmentalism

noun

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

Medical Definition of environmentalism

: 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