environmentalist

noun en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist \ in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ləst , -ˌvī(-ə)r(n)- \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of environmentalist

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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Recent Examples of environmentalist from the Web

But environmentalists blame Scott for siding with polluters and loosening Florida's water regulations.

— david smiley and mary ellen klas, miamiherald, "Florida’s politicians use slimy algae to muddy each other," 11 July 2018
His work put him in the company of other famous naturalists, conservationists, and environmentalists of the time - including Rachel Carson and Roger Tory Peterson.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Teale's Legacy Lives On At Trail Wood Sanctuary," 9 July 2018
His sympathy for business may prove an unlikely boon to environmentalists.

— The Economist, "A court with a solid conservative majority could reshape American life," 5 July 2018
Officials in 2015 opted not to list the birds as needing federal protections under the Endangered Species Act and instead imposed land-use restrictions leading to multiple lawsuits from industry and environmentalists.

— keith ridler, idahostatesman, "Grazing, not juniper, is behind Idaho species' decline, environmental group says," 29 June 2018
Also Monday, environmentalists agreed to a truce in a third lawsuit over protections for the Gunnison sage grouse, a smaller cousin of the greater sage grouse.

— matthew brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "Lawsuits target oil and gas leases in fight for imperiled sage grouse," 1 May 2018
Yet environmentalists argued that none of the New England states has put forward a comprehensive plan for tackling transportation emissions, the largest source of greenhouse gases in all six states.

— benjamin storrow, Scientific American, "Cars Threaten Climate Goals in Blue States," 17 Apr. 2018
Even environmentalists, when the public isn’t listening, admit this approach to curbing fossil-fuel use is insane.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "The Fuel-Economy Reality Show," 3 Apr. 2018
Many environmentalists argue that by increasing oil and gas supplies and lowering prices for consumers, shale drilling is extending the life of fossil fuels to the detriment of the environment and the development of cleaner energy.

— author: clifford krauss, Anchorage Daily News, "Oil price boom gives the U.S. a new edge in energy and diplomacy," 29 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of environmentalist

1902

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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