environmentalist

noun

en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ləst

-ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-

: an advocate of environmentalism

: one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to the control of pollution

Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In videos of the highway blockade, climate activists and commuting workers appear, quite literally, to be on opposite sides: heroic environmentalists versus mindless consumers, or out-of-touch activists versus hardworking Americans, depending on your point of view. —

Claire Ravenscroft, The New Republic, 21 Sep. 2023 William, 41, will take part in some top-level lobbying, meet fellow environmentalists and philanthropists and business leaders. —

Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023 Observers often see the approval of Willow, coupled with last week’s protections in ANWR, and then in the NPR-A, as maybe an effort by the Biden administration to appease environmentalists and climate activists who weren’t happy with Willow’s approval. —

Riley Rogerson, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Sep. 2023 While environmentalists and scooter advocates expressed frustration about the lack of scooters caused by the crackdown, the watchdog group Safe Walkways urged city officials not to back down. —

David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023 But environmentalists had a very different reaction. —

Harold Maass, The Week, 7 Sep. 2023 Recently, however, there’s been a backlash from environmentalists, feminists, design maximalists and book lovers. —

Britt Peterson, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023 The state also has lost the water purification service that those wetlands provide for free, environmentalists say. —

Tim Zorn, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023 The current plan maintains that exemption – even though environmentalists say that will violate the new federal standards. —

Gwozniac, oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of environmentalist was in 1902

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near environmentalist

environmentalism

environmentalist

environmental resistance

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Environmentalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environmentalist. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

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